How to get a free Google server forever
20 Jul 2020
I first heard you could get a free Virtual Private Server instance on the Google Compute Engine from a random person on Twitter.
Cheers to the random dude who suggested rather snarkily over twitter that I should simply use a Google Compute f1-micro instance to periodically ping my scripts etc no I won't be dignifying that suggestion with a reply but yes I will be using that free service thank you
— Joshua Byrd (@phocks) July 18, 2020
So here’s how to do it.
- Go to the Google Cloud Platform Console and sign up/in if you have to and go to the Compute Engine section using the hamburger menu top left.
- Enable Compute Engine if it’s not already enabled and then set up billing (you need to add a credit card or PayPal but don’t worry you won’t be charged).
- Create a new instance in one of the free tier locations (Iowa, Oregon, or South Carolina) with machine type
f1-micro.
Finish the server config (make sure you add the max 30GB free disk space) and spin up the server. Click the Connect via SSH button to log in.
And that’s about it for now. Enjoy your free server forever!
If this post helped you please consider sponsoring me on GitHub.
ps. I may update this page with more detailed instructions later if people want me to. Also NOTE: Even though you can run this server for free, Google may charge if you go over certain “free tier” limits etc so just keep a lookout for that in the terms and conditions…
