Fly.io
Fly.io Inc. · 🐳 Container Hosting
Fly.io transforms containers into micro-VMs that run on their hardware in cities close to your users.
Overview
Fly.io runs your app as lightweight micro-VMs (Fly Machines) close to your users, in 35+ regions worldwide. You give it a Docker image — or a Dockerfile, or a detected app — and Fly deploys it globally with Anycast IPs, private networking and managed Postgres available alongside.
Fly’s free allowances have shifted toward usage-based pricing; historically it offered small shared VMs and a monthly outbound-transfer allowance at no cost, but you should confirm the current free and trial terms. Inbound transfer is generous, and you only run what you need.
It is aimed at developers who want to run real containers — full apps, APIs, even databases — globally distributed, rather than being limited to static sites or single-region servers.
Pros
- ✓Runs any Docker container as fast-booting micro-VMs
- ✓Global deployment across 35+ regions with Anycast IPs
- ✓Private networking and managed Postgres available
- ✓Good for stateful and latency-sensitive workloads
- ✓Scales down to lightweight shared VMs
Cons
- ✕Free and trial allowances have moved toward usage-based billing
- ✕Requires comfort with Docker and some operations work
- ✕Managed Postgres needs careful sizing and backups
- ✕Pricing can be unpredictable for heavy egress
Best for
- →Containerized full apps and APIs deployed globally
- →Latency-sensitive services running near users
- →Developers comfortable with Docker who want edge compute
Getting started
- 1 Install the flyctl CLI and sign in
- 2 Run fly launch in your project to generate a fly.toml
- 3 Adjust regions, VM size and secrets as needed
- 4 Run fly deploy to ship your container globally
- 5 Optionally attach Fly Postgres and scale machines per region
Features
- ✓Global Edge Deployment
- ✓Fly Machines
- ✓Managed Postgres
- ✓Private Networking
- ✓Anycast IPs
- ✓Auto-scaling
Languages
FAQ
Fly has moved toward usage-based pricing; small workloads may cost little, but there is no large always-free tier. Check fly.io for current pricing and any trial credit.
Fly runs Docker images. The fly launch command can detect common stacks and generate a Dockerfile, but containers are the core model.
Yes. Fly offers managed Postgres, and you can run your own stateful services on persistent volumes.
Deploy these projects to Fly.io
Open-source projects and templates that run on Fly.io's free tier.