# Strapi on Render

Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/stacks/strapi-on-render/

Render publishes its own guide for deploying Strapi.

Open-source headless CMS running as a long-lived Node server, requiring a relational database in production and an upload provider for media that must survive deploys.

## What Strapi needs

Every host claims to run Strapi, so the claim on its own decides nothing. These are the things Strapi requires from the platform underneath it, and what Render publishes about each. Render documents 4 of the 4.

| Requirement | Render | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Managed databases | Supported | Strapi's SQLite default is a development convenience. A production install needs Postgres or MySQL, and a guide that leaves you on SQLite is showing you a prototype. |
| Persistent storage | Supported | Uploaded media is written to the local filesystem unless an upload provider is configured. On an ephemeral disk the media library empties at the next deploy while the content entries still reference it. |
| Persistent processes | Supported | Strapi is a long-lived Node server serving both the content API and the admin panel. It is not a request-scoped function and cannot be deployed as one. |
| Memory (entry plan) | 512 MB RAM (with 0.5 CPU) on the `0.5c-512mb` instance type, the cheapest paid web service compute plan (legacy name: Starter) | The admin panel is rebuilt on boot and after every content-type change. That build is the memory spike, and it is what decides whether the smallest instance survives a deploy. |

- Managed databases source: https://render.com/docs/postgresql
- Persistent storage source: https://render.com/docs/disks
- Persistent processes source: https://render.com/docs/background-workers
- Memory (entry plan) source: https://render.com/docs/compute-plans

## What Render documents

> Depending on how you're using Strapi, your needs will vary when you deploy your project to production. In this guide we'll describe three different methods you can use to deploy Strapi on Render [...] The simplest deployment method uses a web service with an attached persistent disk. The disk will store both a SQLite database file and uploaded media files. This approach is straightforward and inexpensive, but using a disk currently prevents horizontal scaling and zero downtime deploys.

Source: https://render.com/docs/deploy-strapi

## What it costs to run there

|  | Render |
| --- | --- |
| Pricing model | The Hobby plan does not have a monthly fee, so you only pay for usage. |
| When you exceed a cap | Pipeline minutes: overage is auto-purchased, but with no payment method or once the monthly spend limit is hit, Render stops all pipeline tasks including service builds for the rest of the month (platform-wide, all plans) |
| Regions | Oregon, USA; Ohio, USA; Virginia, USA; Frankfurt, Germany; Singapore |

- Pricing model source: https://render.com/docs/new-workspace-plans
- When you exceed a cap source: https://render.com/docs/build-pipeline
- Regions source: https://render.com/docs/regions

## Whether it suits you

Workloads that need real background workers and persistent processes alongside web services, deployed from a repository or a Dockerfile. Managed Postgres and static sites run on the same platform.

Consider something else if: Free web services spin down after 15 minutes without traffic, which makes the free tier unsuitable for anything that must answer immediately.

Written by Palash Bagchi on 2026-09-05. This is a recommendation, not a sourced fact — it carries no citation because it is an opinion.

## Related

- Best hosting for Strapi: https://inetgeek.com/stacks/strapi/
- Render: https://inetgeek.com/hosting/render/