The deploy wizard

The deploy wizard is the screen you land on after picking a source (a GitHub repo, a local folder, an uploaded folder, or a template) from the Library. Its job is to answer three questions and then do the work: where should this run?, does the detected build look right?, and is it live yet?

The wizard lives at /deploy/<source>. When you press Deploy it hands off to the live build screen at /build/<id>, which streams the logs until your app is online.

Screen 1 — Deploy target (desktop app only)

This is the "where do you want this to run?" screen. Its heading reads "Where do you want to deploy?" and it shows one card per place you can deploy to.

The target cards

If you run Alaf Server self-hosted, an Add your own server button sits below the cards. It opens the Add your server form (name, IP address, port, username, and authentication — password, SSH key, or agent) right inside the wizard; the new server is selected automatically once saved, so you don't lose your place. See Custom servers for the full walkthrough.

Power — the cloud resource tier

When Alaf Server Cloud is selected, a Power panel appears on the right. This is where you size the machine your app runs on:

Advanced (server targets)

Pick a server and an Advanced section appears (collapsed by default — most people never open it). Its summary line shows the current build location; expand it for:

• Runtime — how the app is isolated on the server.
  • Sandboxed (recommended) — runs in an isolated container; a compromise can't reach the host. Tiny overhead.
  • Direct — runs straight on the host. Lowest overhead, but full host access if compromised. Picking it shows a security caveat (and a memory-aware note on small boxes).
• Build location — This Machine (build locally, then transfer the output — faster on a powerful machine) or Remote (build on the deploy target — best when your machine is limited).
• Clone location — for sandboxed/compose server deploys: On your device / On Alaf Server (clone then upload; works everywhere) or On the server (clone on the server, no upload; best for big repos).
• Forward my git credentials — desktop-only, Direct deploys: clone on the server using your local gh identity instead of building and uploading. Nothing is stored on the server.

Save as default & Continue

Tick "Save as my default for every deployment" to remember this target (and server) for next time — you can change it later in Settings or per-deploy from this picker. Press Continue to move to Config.

Screen 2 — Config

This screen is where you confirm what Alaf Server detected and set anything it can't guess. The main column holds the settings; a sticky sidebar on the right holds your repo info, the domain, the Deploy button, and a build summary. For most apps the detected defaults are correct and you can go straight to Deploy.

The main column

What renders here depends on the project type Alaf Server detected:

• App — a framework picker and build settings (install command, build command, output directory).
• Docker — a single Dockerfile project; you mainly confirm the port.
• Services (Docker Compose) — the parsed services and their shared environment. See Multi-service with Compose.
• Monorepo — a workspace header with one card per sub-app.

Below that, most flows also show Environment Variables (collapsible — see Environment variables), the Project Name field, and, when routing rules were detected, an advanced Routing section.

The sidebar

Repository — shows owner/repo and a branch dropdown. The overflow menu offers Copy clone token (a ready-to-run git clone with a short-lived token, for GitHub-App/Cloud repos). Local-folder sources appear with local as the owner and have no overflow menu — there's no remote repo to clone.

Domain — one or more domain rows under a Domain card (Add domain with the +). Each row is either a free subdomain on your instance's base domain or a custom domain, plus the exposed port (server apps) or static path (static apps). To put the app on your own address with HTTPS, see Custom domains.

Deploy Summary — a read-only recap card at the bottom of the sidebar. For apps it lists the Domain, Build Location (Local Machine / Alaf Server Cloud / Server), Framework, and the detected Install / Build / Output commands. For Docker/Compose it shows the Runtime/Stack and Port.

The Deploy button

The primary button in the sidebar. It reads Deploy (with a rocket) and switches to Deploying… while it starts. Pressing it kicks off the build and navigates you to the live build screen.

A few checks can interrupt before the build starts — none of them are errors, just the wizard asking for the one thing it needs:

• Deploying to Alaf Server Cloud without a Cloud connection → prompts you to connect.
• A free domain on your own server (or on Compose services) → prompts for Cloud or a custom domain.
• Compose services with ports but no public domain → a "no public service is reachable" warning with Review Services / Deploy Anyway.
• No way to clone a private repo (no gh, no GitHub App, no token) → a credential dialog offering to install the App, paste a token, or build locally instead.

The live build screen

Pressing Deploy takes you to /build/<id> — the screen that watches your deployment happen. It has three parts.

Title and progress

The heading reflects the live status: Deploying..., then Deployment Successful, Deployment Ready With Warnings, Deployment Failed, or Deployment Cancelled. Under it, a horizontal step tracker lights up each phase as it completes (clone, build, deploy, and so on), with a spinner on the current step and a red mark if one fails.

Build Terminal

A live terminal streams the build output line by line — like watching the oven through the glass. This is where you read what actually happened. After a successful deploy of a server app, the same panel switches to Production Logs so you can watch the running app; a failed deploy adds a "See logs for issue details" hint. For more, see Logs & monitoring.

Deployment Details & actions

The right sidebar summarizes the deployment: Status, Instance (Alaf Server Cloud / Server / Local machine), Build (local / cloud / server build), Build time, Framework, Branch, and Domain. The action button underneath changes with the state:

What next?