Looking for a FREE Cloud based 'Web Mapping Stack' Host

If you are not tied to GeoServer, you might take a look at a very new QGIS-based solution called QGIS Cloud. It is currently free. Not sure about the speed, as their server, I think, is in Germany (though they may be expanding soon).

I searched for the same free cloud based geoweb services and came up empty over a year ago. Ended up using www.webfaction.com for about $10 a month. They supply PostGreSQL, PostGIS and all of the necessary libraries. Had my IT nephew install GeoServer and all is well, so far.

I'm fairly new to web/map development and I found the support to be most helpful and quick to respond.

• Amazon EC2 have a free usage tier that lasts a year for new customers. You could install your own software and would be great for learning the different parts of a typical stack.
• Google Fusion tables is free and should be possible to plugin to openlayers.