cronserver

Where can I host a script to run continuously?


I am planning out a script that I would like to write that will check a website everyday at midnight and do what is needed based off the users input. I will be posting this script online so other people can use it.

However, I want the script to be able to continue running even when the users computer is off. Is there some place (I/the user) can host the script so that even when I/they turn off their computer it continues to run?

The immediate idea that comes to my head or hosting it on a server of some sort. Is that possible?

I have also been reading about cron. However, it appears that will stop working after the user has turned off their computer.

Any tips or advice is appreciated.


Solution

  • Yes, cron stops running when you turn off the computer. Everything stops running when there is no power. One option for persistent computing is to run a EC2 instance on Amazon Web Services. There is one instance type that is free (up to a point I believe). Other cloud computing services such as MS Azure are also an option.