{"slug": "where-can-you-host-side-projects-and-team-tools-without-a-paas", "title": "Where can you host side projects and team tools without a PaaS?", "summary": "Croft, a private team hosting product, is positioning itself as a Railway alternative for internal tools and side projects, letting teams deploy apps built in Cursor or Claude to their own private server behind one company login instead of a public PaaS URL. Croft connects business data sources including Xero (Sales invoices, Bills, Contacts, Payments) and Google Search Console (Top queries, Top pages, Queries losing clicks), which Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Grok query over MCP with credentials kept on the Croft server. Apps call connectors through Croft's gateway so API keys never sit in generated code, and scheduled automations log every run and ask before destructive actions.", "body_md": "[Blog](https://oncroft.net/blog/) · October 27, 2026 · Rich Chetwynd\n\n# Where can you host side projects and team tools without a PaaS?\n\nWhere to host side projects privately, and how to host an internal tool without a PaaS: put the app on Croft next to synced business data, then the team opens it behind company login. A Railway alternative for internal tools.\n\n## Quick answer\n\nTo **host side projects privately** and **host an internal tool without a\nPaaS**, put both the data and the apps on a **private team host**, not a\npublic Railway, Render, or Vercel URL. Croft is that host: a current copy of\nyour business tools on your own private server, plus the side projects, team\ntools, integrations, and automations you build next to it. Build in Cursor or\nClaude, deploy to the croft, and the team opens a lasting URL behind one\ncompany login. No public PaaS to lock down, no VPS to babysit.\n\nThat is **private hosting for small team tools**, and the usual **Railway\nalternative for internal tools**, when the audience is your company rather\nthan the open web.\n\n## The cliff is not “can we build it”\n\nCursor, Claude, and similar assistants make a useful internal tool in an\nafternoon: an ops panel, an approvals queue, a roster, a tracker, a small\nadmin UI. Side projects at work look the same. They are real software the\nteam needs. The next question is **where it lives**.\n\nWhat people try first, and why it is a poor fit for a private team tool:\n\n- **A public PaaS.** Railway, Render, and Vercel get a live URL fast. The\ndefault posture is internet-facing. Privacy, who can open it, and often a\ndatabase are extra work you own.\n- **A DIY VPS.** You can harden nginx. You also own SSL, auth, backups, and\nevery next internal tool.\n- **A laptop demo.** Fine for five minutes. The tool dies when the machine\nsleeps, and you are the server.\n\nDevelopers hit this after shipping something the company actually uses. They want a place for small team projects without Railway/Render/Vercel-style infra. Non-developers hit the same cliff when the assistant built something useful and there is no lasting place colleagues can open. Croft is for that team job, not a substitute for people who “cannot code.”\n\nThis post is the **where** decision for side projects and team tools when you\ndo not want a public PaaS. Adjacent hosting choices:\n[How to share an internal tool without a public URL](https://oncroft.net/blog/share-internal-tool-without-a-public-url/),\n[Croft vs Railway for private team apps](https://oncroft.net/blog/croft-vs-railway-for-private-team-apps/),\nand [Where to host a Cursor vibe-coded app for your team](https://oncroft.net/blog/where-to-host-a-cursor-vibe-coded-app-for-your-team/).\n\n## Two things that should live on the same server\n\nA private team tool is only half the story if the numbers it needs still live in someone else’s export. Croft gives equal weight to both:\n\n**1. Your business data, connected and kept current.** Connect the tools you\nalready run. [Xero](https://oncroft.net/connectors/xero/) comes in as **Sales invoices**,\n**Bills**, **Contacts**, and **Payments**.\n[Google Search Console](https://oncroft.net/connectors/googlesearchconsole/) comes in as **Top\nqueries**, **Top pages**, and **Queries losing clicks**. That tidy copy lives\non the team’s own private Croft server. You choose how much history to keep.\nNew sources start visible to admins. Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Grok query\nit over MCP and say when it was last synced. Credentials stay with Croft. The\nAI never sees a password or API key, and it does not log into your tools.\n\n**2. The apps, integrations, and automations you build on top of it.** The\nside project or team tool deploys to the same croft, next to the data it\nneeds. Apps call [connectors](https://oncroft.net/connectors/) through Croft’s gateway, so keys\nnever sit in generated code. When you want something done, not only shown,\nask the assistant to build a small app: email the overdue list every Monday,\nor a weekly search-drop report. Those jobs can run on a\n[schedule](https://oncroft.net/automations/). Destructive actions ask first, and every run is\nlogged.\n\nThe developer path is short: build with Cursor or Claude, put it on Croft next to the data, invite the team, they open it behind company login. You do not run infra for each tool.\n\nSetup for asking from chat: [connect Claude](https://oncroft.net/connect/claude/). Cursor-focused\nlandings: [for developers](https://oncroft.net/for/developers/) and\n[host a Cursor app](https://oncroft.net/host-cursor-app/).\n\n## Public PaaS vs DIY VPS vs Croft\n\n| Need | Public PaaS (Railway, Render, Vercel) | DIY VPS | Croft private team host | \n|---|---|---|---|\n| Default posture | Public URL by default | You harden it | Private by default | \n| Who can open it | Anyone with the link unless you lock it down | Whoever you expose | People you invite, behind company login | \n| Business data next to the app | You wire APIs, keys, and often a second database | You install and back it up | Synced copy on the same private server | \n| Apps, integrations, automations | You assemble hosting, jobs, and auth | You own cron, nginx, SSL | Deploy from Cursor or Claude; schedules included | \n| Upkeep for a team tool | You own privacy, auth, often a DB | You own the box | Backups and rollback included | \n\nThis is posture, not a peer feature checklist. Public PaaS hosts shine when\nthe app faces the internet. A VPS is for when you want full ops control.\nCroft is **private hosting for small team tools**: data and apps on one\nserver the team already signs into. See\n[Croft vs Railway](https://oncroft.net/compare/railway/) and the\n[blog comparison](https://oncroft.net/blog/croft-vs-railway-for-private-team-apps/). Croft has\nno CLI. Deploys go through the Croft MCP connector from the assistant.\n\n## When a public PaaS is the right call\n\nPick Railway, Render, or Vercel when:\n\n- The app is meant for customers or the public internet\n- You want preview deploys and classic product hosting\n- You are happy operating privacy, auth, and data yourself as it grows\n\nThat is a strong job. It is the wrong default when you need to **host an\ninternal tool without a PaaS** and only your company should use it.\n\n## When Croft is the right call\n\nPick Croft when:\n\n- The side project or team tool is for **your people** , not the open web\n- You want **where to host side projects privately** answered with one\ncompany login, not a public URL you lock down later\n- The tool should sit **next to current business data** (Xero, Search\nConsole, and the other connectors you allow)\n- You would rather build in Cursor or Claude and deploy than stand up a public PaaS or a VPS for every internal app\n\nTypical path:\n\n1. [Start a free trial](https://app.oncroft.net/signup?plan=team&billing=annual&src=blog) to get a croft, your private server. 14 days free.\n2. Connect the tools you already run. Start with\n[Xero](https://oncroft.net/connectors/xero/) or another source from[connectors](https://oncroft.net/connectors/) . New sources are admin-only until you open\nthem.\n3. Connect your assistant: [Claude](https://oncroft.net/connect/claude/) , Cursor, ChatGPT, or\nGrok. Ask it to**deploy the app to your croft** , next to that data.\n4. Invite colleagues. They open a normal URL, sign in with company login, and use the tool.\n\nMore on that path: [for developers](https://oncroft.net/for/developers/),\n[host a Cursor app](https://oncroft.net/host-cursor-app/),\n[integrations and automations](https://oncroft.net/automations/). Pricing:\n[pricing](https://oncroft.net/pricing/).\n\n## FAQ\n\n### Where can you host side projects and team tools without a PaaS?\n\nOn a **private team host**, not a public Railway, Render, or Vercel-style\nURL. Croft keeps a current copy of your business data on your own server and\nhosts the apps you build next to it. The team opens everything behind one\ncompany login.\n\n### Where do you host side projects privately?\n\nHost them on Croft when they are for the team. Lasting private URL, synced\ndata, no public PaaS to operate. See [for developers](https://oncroft.net/for/developers/).\n\n### How do you host an internal tool without a PaaS?\n\nBuild it in Cursor or Claude, deploy it to your croft, invite colleagues.\nDetails: [host a Cursor app](https://oncroft.net/host-cursor-app/).\n\n### Is Croft a Railway alternative for internal tools?\n\nYes, when the job is a private team tool. For internet-facing services,\nRailway remains the better fit. See\n[Croft vs Railway](https://oncroft.net/compare/railway/) and\n[Croft vs Railway for private team apps](https://oncroft.net/blog/croft-vs-railway-for-private-team-apps/).\n\n### Does the team tool sit next to our business data?\n\nYes. Connect [Xero](https://oncroft.net/connectors/xero/) or\n[Google Search Console](https://oncroft.net/connectors/googlesearchconsole/). Claude, ChatGPT,\nCursor, and Grok query that copy. Apps on the same croft use\n[connectors](https://oncroft.net/connectors/) without holding the keys.\n\n### Do you need to run servers or a VPS?\n\nNo. Croft is the private server. You do not become ops for every side project.\n\n### Can non-developers on the team use what we ship?\n\nYes. Developers build and deploy. Everyone else signs in with company login and uses the app.\n\n### How much does Croft cost?\n\nSolo from $24/month billed annually, Team $99/month billed annually,\nEnterprise custom. 14-day free trial. See\n[pricing](https://oncroft.net/pricing/).\n\n[Start free trial →](https://app.oncroft.net/signup?plan=team&billing=annual&src=blog)  ·  [For developers →](https://oncroft.net/for/developers/)  ·  [Host a Cursor app →](https://oncroft.net/host-cursor-app/)  ·  [Connect Claude →](https://oncroft.net/connect/claude/)  ·  [Connectors →](https://oncroft.net/connectors/)  ·  [Pricing →](https://oncroft.net/pricing/)\n\n## Start your free trial.\n\nYour team's first app could be live before lunch.\n\n14 days free. Cancel anytime.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/where-can-you-host-side-projects-and-team-tools-without-a-paas", "canonical_source": "https://oncroft.net/blog/host-side-projects-and-team-tools-without-a-paas/", "published_at": "2026-10-26 11:00:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-11-10 19:19:44.896116+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-tools", "ai-agents", "agent-protocols", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Croft", "Railway", "Render", "Vercel", "Cursor", "Claude", "Xero", "Google Search Console"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/where-can-you-host-side-projects-and-team-tools-without-a-paas", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/where-can-you-host-side-projects-and-team-tools-without-a-paas.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/where-can-you-host-side-projects-and-team-tools-without-a-paas.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/where-can-you-host-side-projects-and-team-tools-without-a-paas.jsonld"}}