Deploy Your First App

import { Steps, Aside } from ‘@astrojs/starlight/components’;

This tutorial walks you through deploying a real application on Vessl. You’ll deploy a ready-to-run Node.js app, connect it to a database, and see it live.

Prerequisites

A running Vessl instance (install guide)
An admin account (create via dashboard or vessld setup)

Step 1: Create a Project

Log in to your Vessl dashboard at http://your-server-ip:8080.
Click New Project in the sidebar.
Enter my-first-app as the project name.
Click Create.

Step 2: Deploy a Sample App

Since you don’t have a Git repository connected yet, you’ll deploy from a public Git URL.

In your project, click New Service.
Select Deploy from Git URL.
Paste this URL:
```
https://github.com/expressjs/express
```
Vessl auto-detects the build strategy — it finds the package.json and uses Railpack.
Click Deploy.

Check progress: Click on the service to view live deployment logs.

Once the status shows running, your app is live at the URL shown in the service details.

Step 3: Add a Database

Navigate to Databases in the sidebar.
Click New Database.
Select PostgreSQL 16.
Click Create.

Vessl provisions a PostgreSQL container with persistent storage.

After creation, Vessl automatically injects the connection string into your app:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://vessl:<password>@<container-name>:5432/vessl

Step 4: Set Environment Variables

Go to your service’s Variables tab.
Click Add Variable.
Set NODE_ENV to production.
Save.

Step 5: Attach a Custom Domain (Optional)

Go to Project → Domains.
Click Add Domain.
Enter your domain (e.g. app.example.com).
Add the A record at your DNS provider.
SSL is provisioned automatically via Let’s Encrypt.

Step 6: Monitor

View real-time metrics from the service detail page:

CPU: Current and historical usage
Memory: RAM consumption
Status: Running, deploying, or failed
Logs: Live streaming output

Clean Up

To remove everything:

# Via CLI
vessld backup   # Backup your database first

# In dashboard: Delete the project