Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! All deployment blueprints on Leaper are completely free to use under the MIT License. You can use them in personal and commercial projects without any cost or attribution required (though attribution is always appreciated!).

The blueprints are created and maintained by experienced DevOps engineers and developers who have deployed hundreds of applications to production. We continuously update them to reflect current best practices and cloud provider changes.

We review and update blueprints regularly, especially when:

• Cloud providers release new features or change pricing
• Framework versions have breaking changes
• Security best practices evolve
• Users report issues or suggest improvements

Absolutely! We welcome suggestions. Visit our contact page to submit ideas for new framework/cloud combinations or improvements to existing blueprints.

Yes, you'll need to customize the configurations with your specific details:

• API Keys & Secrets: Add your cloud provider credentials
• Domain Names: Replace placeholder domains with yours
• Project Names: Update project/app names
• Region Settings: Choose your preferred cloud regions

Each blueprint includes clear instructions on what needs to be customized.

Yes, our blueprints include production best practices like:

• SSL/TLS encryption
• CDN configuration
• Caching strategies
• Environment variable management
• Build optimization
• Security headers

However, you should always review and test configurations for your specific security and compliance requirements.

Check the Troubleshooting section below for common issues. Most errors are due to:

• Missing or incorrect API keys/secrets
• Insufficient cloud provider permissions
• Typos in configuration files
• Outdated framework versions

It depends on your needs:

• Vercel/Netlify: Best for Next.js/React with zero config
• Cloudflare Pages: Best for static sites with global CDN
• AWS: Best for enterprise with complex requirements
• Hetzner: Best for cost-conscious projects
• GCP: Best for data-heavy applications
• Azure: Best for Microsoft ecosystem integration

Check our cost comparison page for detailed analysis.

Yes! Many teams use a multi-cloud strategy:

• Static assets on Cloudflare CDN
• API backend on AWS/GCP
• Database on managed service
• Media storage on S3/Cloud Storage

Our blueprints can be combined to create multi-cloud architectures.

Most cloud providers require a credit card even for free tiers:

• Require Credit Card: AWS, GCP, Azure, Hetzner
• No Credit Card Needed: Cloudflare Pages (free tier), Vercel (hobby tier), Netlify (starter tier)

Free tiers won't charge you unless you exceed limits.

It depends on your use case:

• Static Sites: Cloudflare Pages (free) or Netlify (free tier)
• Containers: Hetzner (~$5/month) or GCP Cloud Run (pay-per-use)
• Kubernetes: Hetzner (~$30/month) vs AWS EKS (~$75/month)
• Serverless: Vercel/Netlify free tiers, then AWS Lambda

See our detailed cost comparison.

Our cost estimates are based on typical usage patterns and current pricing (as of 2026). Actual costs may vary based on:

• Traffic volume and geographic distribution
• Data transfer and bandwidth usage
• Storage requirements
• Compute resources needed
• Cloud provider pricing changes

Always check the cloud provider's pricing calculator for your specific needs.

Cost optimization strategies:

• Use CDN caching: Reduce origin requests
• Optimize images: Compress and use modern formats (WebP, AVIF)
• Enable compression: Gzip/Brotli for text assets
• Choose right-sized instances: Don't over-provision
• Use spot/preemptible instances: For non-critical workloads
• Set up auto-scaling: Scale down during low traffic
• Monitor usage: Set up billing alerts

• GitHub Actions: CI/CD automation for GitHub repos. Best for automated deployments on every push.
• GitLab CI: Similar to GitHub Actions but for GitLab. Great for self-hosted GitLab instances.
• Terraform: Infrastructure as Code tool. Best for managing cloud resources declaratively.

You can use them together: Terraform to provision infrastructure, GitHub Actions to deploy code.

No! It depends on the platform:

• Don't need Docker: Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages (static sites)
• Need Docker: AWS ECS, GCP Cloud Run, Kubernetes, Hetzner VPS
• Optional: AWS Lambda (can use Docker or zip files)

Best practices for secrets management:

• Never commit secrets to Git: Use .env files (add to .gitignore)
• Use platform secret managers: GitHub Secrets, AWS Secrets Manager, etc.
• Separate environments: Different secrets for dev/staging/production
• Rotate regularly: Change API keys and passwords periodically
• Principle of least privilege: Grant minimum necessary permissions

All modern platforms provide free SSL:

• Automatic SSL: Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages
• Let's Encrypt: AWS (via ACM), GCP, Azure
• Manual setup: Hetzner VPS (use Certbot)

Our blueprints include SSL configuration where needed.

Common causes:

• Missing dependencies: Run npm install or yarn install
• Wrong Node version: Check package.json engines field
• Case-sensitive imports: Linux is case-sensitive, Windows/Mac aren't
• Missing build step: Ensure build command is correct

Check these common issues:

• Wrong output directory: Verify dist, build, or out folder
• Missing index.html: Ensure build generates index file
• Incorrect base path: Check if deploying to subdirectory
• DNS not propagated: Wait 24-48 hours for DNS changes

Investigate these common cost drivers:

• Data transfer: Check bandwidth usage (enable CDN caching)
• Always-on resources: Ensure auto-scaling is configured
• Oversized instances: Right-size your compute resources
• Unused resources: Delete old deployments and test environments
• Missing free tier: Verify you're using free tier eligible resources

Set up billing alerts to catch unexpected costs early!

Permission issues are usually due to:

• Missing secrets: Add required API keys to GitHub/GitLab secrets
• Insufficient IAM permissions: Grant necessary cloud provider permissions
• Expired credentials: Rotate and update API keys
• Wrong secret names: Match secret names in workflow file