A stack for a cheap (free) online store?

Question

Web development

They literally just gave me a problem.
Requirements:
- free/cheap support (no regular hosting fees).
- Standard store features - product catalog, description, contacts, shopping cart.
I am not familiar with the creation of a backend, we need a suitable stack for the site described above.
The first thing that comes to mind is to file a static site with markdown on React + Gatsby (I worked with this stack before) and put it on GitHub Pages, but I doubt that they can host online stores. Are there any viable alternatives? I googled about React + NodeJs on the backend, but it seems like serious hosting is needed there.

Answer 1

It will not be free - you have to develop it. And it's not very fast. Or is your time free?
Meaning? Your work will be many times more expensive than hosting. If the customer already has money to work, will there really not be a penny for hosting?
Quite a full-fledged hosting with a margin is at the level of 100-150 rubles per month.
You can find it for 20-50 rubles a month, but I wouldn’t, it’s already a risk of running into “garbage” quality.
If out of principle, I would take, for example, Google AppEngine.
Minuses:

1. You need to develop a modern application, according to principles like https://12factor.net/ru/ , and if you don’t know how to make such applications, it will consume more server resources (and more free limits, and later more real money).
   
2. The application will most likely turn out to be heavily tied to the AppEngine. And to leave - it is necessary to strongly rewrite it. Well, or immediately you need to take care of the versatility for the future. I don't think you want to switch voluntarily from such a convenient tool as AppEngine. But still.
   

Answer 2

Something on the front + firebase

Answer 3

If an IM cannot even pay back some super-cheap virtual machine for $5-10 per year (this can be found, for example, on lowendstock.com ), then maybe it just shouldn't be done?
And on such it is already possible to distribute statics, and run some simple application with some light base - somehow you need to store orders ...

Answer 4

Renting a ready-made online store on any Saas site from 500 rubles per month, there will be no cheaper option

Answer 5

"Ready-made basket for your site" + free hosting without php
shared hosting can be found for 100 rubles per year with php.
But in any case, there is still a domain name . And you have to pay for it annually.
Or look for some kind of free subdomain of the 3rd level.