What is probably broken
Every app has a separate hosting bill, database bill, analytics bill, and dashboard, but none of them is large enough to justify that complexity.
Cost consolidation guide
Run several small apps on one VPS without creating a server mess
Early products often collect bills before they collect customers. A small VPS can run several apps, but only if domains, env vars, data persistence, backups, updates, and ownership are handled deliberately.
What production should look like
One production VPS with separate apps, domains, env vars, persistent data, logs, backups, monitoring, and a simple upgrade path when traffic grows.
STEP 01
Decide what belongs on the VPS
Do not consolidate everything. Keep specialized external services when they are safer or simpler.
- Good VPS candidates: small apps, APIs, Postgres, analytics, queues, storage, admin tools.
- Usually keep external: payments, transactional email, DNS, and anything compliance-heavy.
- Move one app first, then repeat the pattern.
STEP 02
Create one isolated unit per product
Keep apps separated so a broken side project does not make the whole server impossible to reason about.
- Create separate apps, Compose projects, or services for each product.
- Use separate domains/subdomains and separate env vars.
- Use named volumes for databases and data that must survive deploys.
STEP 03
Add the boring safety rails
A cheap VPS becomes expensive if nobody knows how to recover it.
- Keep routing visible in your deploy panel or reverse proxy config.
- Monitor memory, disk, CPU, and logs after each new app.
- Write a one-page server map: apps, domains, ports, volumes, backups, and restart steps.
Quick check
Is your app production-ready?
If you cannot tick all five, we can fix it. Send us the repo and we handle the rest.
- ?Custom domain with HTTPS
- ?Environment variables configured
- ?Database wired and backed up
- ?Auto-deploy on push
- ?Smoke tested and live
Free checklist
Deploying this yourself?
Get the exact 5-step checklist we run before every deploy. No fluff, just the things that actually break.
Done-for-you deploy
RepoAssistant consolidates small app infrastructure when one clean VPS is enough.
Fixed price per repo. 24h delivery or full refund. No hourly billing.
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