I recently attempted to deploy Strapi on shared hosting, and I encountered significant challenges related to dependencies, particularly with native modules like better-sqlite3.
Strapi uses several dependencies that require system-level tools (e.g., gcc, make) and specific versions of libraries like glibc. Unfortunately, shared hosting environments often don’t allow you to install or upgrade these tools, which led to errors during installation and failed builds. Even when trying to install pre-built versions, I ran into issues with mismatched versions of libraries (like glibc) required by the native modules.
For anyone considering deploying Strapi on shared hosting, be aware that these dependency issues could be a major roadblock, especially if you don’t have root access to install system-level packages or upgrade libraries.