Your First Deployment

Deploy your application on Rock8Cloud in minutes. Just bring your code and a Dockerfile.

What You Need

• A GitHub repository with a Dockerfile
• A port exposed in your Dockerfile (e.g., EXPOSE 3000)

That's it — Rock8Cloud handles everything else.

Step 1: Sign In

Navigate to your Rock8Cloud instance and click Sign in with GitHub.

Step 2: Choose What to Deploy

After signing in, you'll be prompted to choose what to deploy:

• GitHub Repository - Deploy an application from your repo
• Database - Create a PostgreSQL or Dragonfly instance
• S3 Storage - Deploy S3-compatible object storage

Select GitHub Repository to continue.

Step 3: Connect GitHub

If this is your first time, you'll need to configure the GitHub App:

1. Click Configure GitHub App
2. Select your organization or personal account
3. Choose which repositories Rock8Cloud can access
4. Click Install to confirm

Once configured, select the repository you want to deploy.

Step 4: Configure Your Deployment

Rock8Cloud generates sensible defaults, but you can customize:

• Project Name - Groups your services together
• App Name - Name for this service
• URL - Your app's public URL. The first part is yours to edit (or roll with ↻); you can attach your own domain later.

Step 5: Deploy

Click Deploy and watch your application come to life!

This usually takes 2-5 minutes depending on your app size.

Step 6: Access Your App

Once deployed, your app is accessible at the URL shown on your service page.

Click the URL to open your live application.

Automatic Redeployment

After the initial deployment, Rock8Cloud automatically redeploys when you push to your branch:

git push origin main

No manual steps needed - push your code and Rock8Cloud handles the rest.

Viewing Logs

Need to debug? Click on any deployment to view:

• Build logs: What happened during the Docker build
• Container logs: Output from your running application

What's Next?

• Add Environment Variables - Configure secrets and settings
• Add a Database - Deploy PostgreSQL or Dragonfly
• Preview Deployments - Auto-deploy pull requests

Troubleshooting

Deployment Failed?

Check the build logs for errors. Common issues:

• Missing Dockerfile: Ensure Dockerfile exists in your repo root
• Wrong port: Port must match your Dockerfile's EXPOSE
• Build errors: Fix errors shown in the build logs

See FAQ for more help.

Can't Access Your App?

• Wait 1-2 minutes for DNS propagation
• Check your app listens on 0.0.0.0, not localhost
• Verify the port matches what your app uses

See Dockerfile Requirements for details.