How to use 100$ credits efficiently to deploy application?

Question

I want to deploy a web application both backend and database and I have github student education pack, the application can have 5-15 users, I am using node.js in backend and postgresql, I've 100$ credits so how can I efficiently use them and can I go live for 1 year with this much credits?

Answer 1

Hello Divyansh Dubey ,

It sounds like you’ve got an Azure for Students subscription with $100 in credits and you want to host a small Node.js + PostgreSQL app for maybe 5–15 users over a year. Here’s how you can squeeze the most out of that budget:

1. Favor serverless/consumption-based services
   • Backend: • Azure Functions (Consumption plan) – you get 1 million free requests and 400 K GB-s of execution time per month. You only pay for actual execution time beyond the free grant. • Or Azure Container Instances with burst-billing if you prefer running a container.
   • Database: • Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server in the “serverless” tier with auto-pause after idle. When paused you only pay for storage. While active, you pay by vCore-hour (you can pick the lowest SKU, e.g. 0.5–1 vCore).
   • Front-end: • Azure Static Web Apps (Free tier) if you have a static front-end; it even bundles a Functions backend. • Otherwise, App Service Free tier (shared compute) for very light workloads. Leverage any “always free” or 12-month free offers
     • In many regions you can get 750 hours/month of a B1S Linux App Service plan for free for 12 months under the Azure free account. If your student offer also grants you these, you can run your Node.js app on that free VM size.
       • Same for Azure Database for PostgreSQL Single Server (250 GB storage + 750 hours B1MS) for 12 months.
       Monitor usage and set budgets

       - In the Education Hub or Azure Cost Management, create a budget for your $100 credit with email alerts at 50%, 75%, 90%.
       
          - Check your remaining credit anytime via the Microsoft Azure Sponsorships portal or Cost Management → “Free services usage.”
       
          Rough cost estimate
       
             - Functions + static front-end + serverless Postgres: likely under $5–$10/month if traffic is low.
       
                - If you lean on the 12-month free B1S App Service + free DB hours, you could run essentially “for free” for a year and only dip into credits for backups, networking egress, or occasional overages.
       

Bottom line:

• Pick consumption-billing services so you only pay when your app is actually serving requests.

• Use the always-free/12-month free SKUs wherever possible.

• Keep a tight budget and alerts in Cost Management.

Chances are with 5–15 active users your monthly bill will be very low and your $100 should last you 8–12 months—enough to get you to production and then onto pay-as-you-go if you need more.

If you need more tailored advice, it’d help to know:

1. Expected requests per month (API calls, page loads, etc.)?
2. How much data (GB) you plan to store in Postgres?
3. Do you need a custom domain or SSL?
4. Regional preferences (costs vary by region)?
5. Any uptime or performance SLAs?

References

1. Azure for Students starter and credits overview https://azure.microsoft.com/offers/ms-azr-0144p/
2. Check your Azure for Students credit balance https://www.microsoftazuresponsorships.com/
3. Always-free/12-month-free services in Azure free account https://azure.microsoft.com/free/
4. Azure Functions Consumption plan free grants https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-functions/functions-pricing
5. Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server – serverless tier https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/postgresql/flexible-server/concepts-pricing-serverless
6. Monitor & budget Azure costs https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/cost-management-billing/costs/tutorial-acm-create-budget

Thank you.

Answer 2

Azure for Students provides $100 in Azure credit for 12 months. Any charges for services (such as App Service and Azure Database for PostgreSQL) are deducted from that $100 during the year. When the credit is exhausted or 12 months pass (whichever comes first), the subscription is canceled unless upgraded to pay-as-you-go.

For a small web app (Node.js backend + PostgreSQL, 5–15 users), efficient use of the $100 credit depends on keeping resource usage low and monitoring costs closely:

1. Track and control spending
   • Use the Azure Education Hub to see monthly and aggregate usage and the countdown to renewal.
   • From the Education Hub Overview page, select View cost details to open Cost Management and analyze which services are consuming credit.
   • Create budgets in Cost Management to get alerts as spending approaches thresholds (for example, 50%, 75%, 90% of the $100 credit) so services can be scaled down or stopped before the credit runs out.
2. Use free-tier and low-cost options where possible
   • Azure for Students includes access to more than 25 free services. Design the deployment to rely on free tiers and minimal SKUs (for example, the lowest App Service plan and the smallest PostgreSQL tier that meets requirements) so that most of the $100 credit remains unused.
   • For PostgreSQL, stop the server when not in use (for development or time-bound workloads) to avoid compute charges; only storage is billed while stopped.
3. Optimize PostgreSQL usage
   • For development, testing, or predictable, time-bound workloads, start and stop the Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server on demand. When stopped, compute charges are not incurred, which conserves credit.
   • If the database is only needed during certain hours (for example, for demos or limited live usage), keep it stopped outside those windows.
4. Clean up unused resources
   • Delete unused resource groups or individual resources (for example, old test App Service instances or databases) so they do not continue consuming credit.
   • In the Azure portal, delete the resource group that contains temporary resources, or delete only the PostgreSQL server or App Service that is no longer needed.
5. Plan for what happens after the credit
   • If the $100 credit is exhausted before 12 months and the subscription is not upgraded, services are decommissioned and become inaccessible.
   • To continue using Azure services after the credit or 12 months, upgrade to a pay-as-you-go subscription.

Whether the application can stay live for a full year on $100 depends on the exact SKUs chosen and how often the app and database are running. Keeping to the smallest tiers, stopping PostgreSQL when idle, and regularly monitoring usage through the Education Hub and Cost Management significantly increases the chance that the credit will last the full year for a low-traffic app.

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References:

• Frequently asked questions about Azure for Education
• Track usage and create budgets in Azure for Students
• Use an Azure free account to try Azure Database for PostgreSQL for free
• Azure for Students