Launching a website doesn’t have to be expensive. Using Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and the free, open-source CyberPanel control panel, you can host a real website for less than $10 a month — and potentially nothing at all if you stay within Google’s Always Free limits.

Video credit: CyberPanel Official YouTube Channel

This guide has been tested and fact-checked against the latest GCP documentation and CyberPanel installation instructions as of 2026. Every step reflects the current platform, including the latest VM type, correct disk configuration, and up-to-date installation commands.

Why Google Cloud Platform + CyberPanel?

Google’s technology infrastructure is one of the most reliable in the world, powering billions of users across its global network. GCP brings that same backbone to small developers and site owners at a price point that’s hard to beat — including a genuinely useful Always Free tier for Compute Engine.

CyberPanel is a free, open-source web hosting control panel built on OpenLiteSpeed. It handles websites, databases, email, SSL certificates, and file management through a clean dashboard — no Linux expertise required once it’s set up.

• Google Cloud: Reliable, globally distributed, generous free tier with per-second billing
• CyberPanel: Free, fast (OpenLiteSpeed is significantly quicker than Apache), beginner-friendly
• Cost: Potentially $0/month on the Always Free tier, or $5–$8 if you go slightly above limits

Sign up at cloud.google.com. New accounts receive $300 in free credit valid for 90 days, which lets you explore the platform without being charged during the trial period.

After the trial, GCP’s Always Free tier includes a Compute Engine e2-micro VM instance that runs continuously at no cost — provided you follow the configuration requirements precisely.

Navigate to Compute Engine → VM Instances → Create Instance in the GCP Console. Every setting below matters — getting one wrong can cause unexpected charges once your $300 credit runs out.

✅ Free Tier Configuration Checklist

• Machine type: e2-micro (2 vCPU shared core, 1 GB RAM)
• Region: one of the three Always Free US regions only (see below)
• Boot disk type: Standard persistent disk (NOT Balanced or SSD)
• Boot disk size: 30 GB
• Network tier: Standard (not Premium)
• Data protection / Backups: No backups
• Observability / Ops Agent: Unchecked
• Firewall: Allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic

• us-west1Oregon
• us-central1Iowa
• us-east1South Carolina

Once your VM is running, you need to configure two things in the GCP Console before installing CyberPanel:

Assign a Static External IP

Go to VPC Network → IP Addresses and reserve a static external IP for your VM. Without this, your server’s IP address can change on restart, breaking your domain’s DNS records. Static IPs are free on the Always Free tier when assigned to a running instance.

Open CyberPanel’s Port in the Firewall

CyberPanel’s dashboard runs on port 8090. GCP blocks this by default. You must create a custom firewall rule or you won’t be able to access your control panel after installation.

Go to VPC Network → Firewall → Create Firewall Rule and allow TCP port 8090 from your IP or 0.0.0.0/0 (all IPs). HTTP port 80 and HTTPS port 443 should already be open if you ticked the firewall boxes during VM creation.

Connect to your VM via SSH (click the SSH button in the GCP Console), then run the following commands:

Step 4a — Update Your Server

# Update package lists and upgrade existing packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 4b — Run the CyberPanel Installer

The official CyberPanel install command (sourced directly from cyberpanel.net) uses HTTPS for security:

sh <(curl https://cyberpanel.net/install.sh || wget -O - https://cyberpanel.net/install.sh)

The interactive installer will guide you through several choices:

1. Enter 1 to install CyberPanel
2. Enter 1 to install with OpenLiteSpeed (the free version — do not select LiteSpeed Enterprise unless you have a licence)
3. Enter Y to install PowerDNS, Postfix, and Pure-FTPd
4. Enter N for remote MySQL (install locally)
5. Press Enter to install the latest stable version
6. Enter r to generate a random admin password (recommended)

Open your browser and navigate to:

https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8090

You’ll see a browser security warning about the SSL certificate — this is normal at this stage. Accept the risk and continue. Log in with the admin credentials from the installation output.

From the dashboard:

1. Go to Websites → Create Website
2. Enter your domain name and select your preferred PHP version
3. Upload your site files via File Manager or FTP
4. Point your domain’s DNS A record to your VM’s static IP address

CyberPanel integrates with Let’s Encrypt to issue free SSL certificates, securing your site with HTTPS in seconds.

1. In CyberPanel, go to SSL → Hostname SSL
2. Select your website and click Issue SSL
3. CyberPanel handles the full process automatically

Check your Billing → Reports dashboard in GCP regularly, especially in your first month. The free-tier credit is applied automatically to eligible usage, but it’s worth verifying.

• Keep your VM running in the correct region (us-west1, us-central1, or us-east1)
• Keep the disk at 30 GB Standard — resizing to SSD or above 30 GB triggers charges
• Monitor egress bandwidth — 1 GB/month is free to most regions; beyond that, small fees apply
• Set up a Budget Alert in Billing to email you if costs exceed $1
• Update CyberPanel regularly: cyberpanel upgrade in your SSH terminal

Cost Breakdown (2026 Pricing)

Final Thoughts

Google Cloud Platform and CyberPanel are a genuinely powerful combination for budget hosting — but the configuration details matter. The most common pitfalls are using the wrong disk type (Balanced instead of Standard), deploying outside the free-tier regions, and forgetting to open port 8090 before installing CyberPanel.

Follow the configuration checklist above carefully and you’ll have a fully functional, professional-grade web server running on Google’s infrastructure for free or close to it. As your site grows, GCP makes it straightforward to upgrade to a larger VM instance without migrating your setup.