Deploy to Digital Ocean

Digital Ocean App Platform is a Platform-as-a-Service that supports Docker deployments. This guide walks you through deploying your Kit application.

Prerequisites

A Digital Ocean account
Your Kit project with a Dockerfile (run kit docker:init)
Git repository (GitHub or GitLab)

Quick Start

1. Create a New App

Go to Digital Ocean Apps
Click “Create App”
Connect your GitHub/GitLab account
Select your repository

2. Configure the App

Digital Ocean will detect your Dockerfile. Configure the settings: Resource Type: Web Service HTTP Port: 8080 Run Command: Leave empty (uses Dockerfile CMD)

3. Add a Database

Click “Add Resource”
Select “Database” -> “PostgreSQL”
Choose your plan (Dev Database for testing, or Production)

Digital Ocean creates a DATABASE_URL environment variable automatically.

4. Set Environment Variables

In the Environment Variables section, add:

Variable	Value
`APP_ENV`	production
`SERVER_HOST`	0.0.0.0
`SERVER_PORT`	8080

DATABASE_URL is set automatically when you add a managed database.

5. Deploy

Click “Create Resources” to deploy. Your app will:

Build from Dockerfile
Run migrations on startup
Start serving requests

Adding a Scheduler (Worker)

For scheduled tasks, add a Worker component:

1. Add a Worker

In your app, click “Create” -> “Add Resource”
Select “Detect from source code”
Choose the same repository
Set resource type to “Worker”

2. Configure the Worker

Run Command:

./app schedule:work

Environment Variables: The worker inherits variables from the app, including DATABASE_URL.

Workers don’t receive HTTP traffic and are ideal for background processes like the scheduler.

App Spec (Optional)

For infrastructure-as-code, create .do/app.yaml:

name: my-kit-app
services:
  - name: web
    dockerfile_path: Dockerfile
    github:
      repo: your-username/your-repo
      branch: main
      deploy_on_push: true
    http_port: 8080
    instance_count: 1
    instance_size_slug: basic-xxs
    envs:
      - key: APP_ENV
        value: production
      - key: SERVER_HOST
        value: 0.0.0.0
      - key: SERVER_PORT
        value: "8080"
      - key: DATABASE_URL
        scope: RUN_TIME
        value: ${db.DATABASE_URL}

workers:
  - name: scheduler
    dockerfile_path: Dockerfile
    github:
      repo: your-username/your-repo
      branch: main
      deploy_on_push: true
    instance_count: 1
    instance_size_slug: basic-xxs
    run_command: ./app schedule:work
    envs:
      - key: APP_ENV
        value: production
      - key: DATABASE_URL
        scope: RUN_TIME
        value: ${db.DATABASE_URL}

databases:
  - name: db
    engine: PG
    version: "16"
    size: db-s-dev-database

Deploy with:

doctl apps create --spec .do/app.yaml

Custom Domain

Go to your app Settings
Click “Domains” -> “Add Domain”
Enter your domain name
Update your DNS records as instructed

Digital Ocean provides free SSL certificates.

Scaling

Horizontal Scaling

In your app settings, increase the Instance Count for your web service. Each instance runs independently with the same database.

Vertical Scaling

Upgrade your Instance Size for more CPU and memory:

Size	vCPU	Memory	Cost/mo
basic-xxs	1	512MB	$5
basic-xs	1	1GB	$10
basic-s	1	2GB	$20
basic-m	2	4GB	$40

Monitoring

Digital Ocean provides:

Logs: Real-time container logs
Metrics: CPU, memory, bandwidth
Alerts: Set up notifications for issues

Costs

App Platform: Starts at $5/month for basic apps
Managed PostgreSQL: Starts at $15/month (Dev database$ 7/month)
Bandwidth: 1TB included, then $0.10/GB

Troubleshooting

Build Fails

Check the build logs. Common issues:

Missing Dockerfile
Dependency compilation errors

Test locally:

docker build -t myapp .

App Won’t Start

Verify SERVER_HOST=0.0.0.0. Digital Ocean requires binding to all interfaces.

Database Connection Failed

Ensure:

Database is in “available” state
DATABASE_URL environment variable is set
No typos in the connection string

Migrations Not Running

Migrations run automatically with the default command. Check logs for errors. To run manually:

Open the Console tab
Run: ./app migrate

Getting Started

Tutorials

Core Concepts

Frontend

Database

CLI Reference

Deployment

Prerequisites

Quick Start

1. Create a New App

2. Configure the App

3. Add a Database

4. Set Environment Variables

5. Deploy

Adding a Scheduler (Worker)

1. Add a Worker

2. Configure the Worker

App Spec (Optional)

Custom Domain

Scaling

Horizontal Scaling

Vertical Scaling

Monitoring

Costs

Troubleshooting

Build Fails

App Won’t Start

Database Connection Failed

Migrations Not Running

​Prerequisites

​Quick Start

​1. Create a New App

​2. Configure the App

​3. Add a Database

​4. Set Environment Variables

​5. Deploy

​Adding a Scheduler (Worker)

​1. Add a Worker

​2. Configure the Worker

​App Spec (Optional)

​Custom Domain

​Scaling

​Horizontal Scaling

​Vertical Scaling

​Monitoring

​Costs

​Troubleshooting

​Build Fails

​App Won’t Start

​Database Connection Failed

​Migrations Not Running

Prerequisites

Quick Start

1. Create a New App

2. Configure the App

3. Add a Database

4. Set Environment Variables

5. Deploy

Adding a Scheduler (Worker)

1. Add a Worker

2. Configure the Worker

App Spec (Optional)

Custom Domain

Scaling

Horizontal Scaling

Vertical Scaling

Monitoring

Costs

Troubleshooting

Build Fails

App Won’t Start

Database Connection Failed

Migrations Not Running