Small sites. Short lives. Useful work.
Practical notes for people who want to put something on the internet without signing up for a permanent infrastructure hobby. The examples use Mayfly, but most of the thinking applies to any short-lived host.
What is ephemeral hosting?
Why a website with an expiry date can be more useful than another permanent deployment, and what you give up when the clock is always running.
read the guide static · 7 minPublish a static site in a day
A small checklist for turning a folder of HTML and CSS into a public URL, from relative paths and local testing to the final upload.
read the guide runtime · 8 minFit a Python or Node app into 512 MB
How to prepare a small server for a shared laptop: ports, entrypoints, dependencies, memory habits and the parts you should leave out.
read the guide reference · living documentThe Mayfly field notes
The technical reference for accounts, boxes, tunnels, ports, logs, the API and the security model. Start here once you have an invite.
open the docsHow to use these guides
Start with the concept piece if you are deciding whether ephemeral hosting is the right fit. It explains the tradeoffs without pretending that a 24-hour service is a substitute for production infrastructure.
The static-site guide assumes you already have a page you want to publish and need help with the last mile: relative asset paths, a local preview, what to upload and what to check once the URL is live. The runtime guide is for a small Python or Node service that needs a port and a public tunnel, not a full deployment platform.
If you are already approved and looking for the exact API surface, use the technical field notes instead. These guides stay focused on the practical decisions around a short project.
Who this is for
- Designers and developers showing a work-in-progress to a small audience.
- Teachers and students who need a real URL for a class demo without a semester-long hosting bill.
- Hackathon teams that need a public endpoint for a weekend and nothing after that.
- Anyone curious about the shape of a service that treats deletion as a feature.
If you need durable storage, a commercial SLA, private data or a custom domain, use a conventional host. The guides will still help you think about scope, but Mayfly is not the tool for that job.
Read first, apply second. The field notes cover the 512 MB memory cap, public exposure and the 24-hour rule in detail. If those constraints fit, request access and tell the operator what you want to build.