Skip to main content

Build Settings

Build settings control how Appliku builds your application into a Docker image. You can configure these in Application Settings > Build Settings tab.

Build Image

Select a pre-configured build image from the dropdown. Appliku provides images for common stacks:

  • Python (various versions)
  • Node.js (various versions)
  • Ruby (various versions)
  • Custom -- use your own Dockerfile

The build image determines the base environment and available system packages for your application.

Build Command

The build command runs during the image build phase. Use it for tasks like:

  • Installing dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt
  • Compiling assets: npm run build
  • Running any pre-deployment preparation

The build command has access to your source code and build environment variables.

Custom Dockerfile

If the pre-configured build images do not meet your needs, you can write a custom Dockerfile directly in the editor. This gives you full control over the build environment, system packages, and build steps.

When using a custom Dockerfile, the build image dropdown is ignored.

Dockerfile Path and Context

If your Dockerfile is not in the root of your repository, configure:

  • Dockerfile path -- relative path to the Dockerfile (e.g., docker/Dockerfile)
  • Build context -- the directory to use as the Docker build context (e.g., . or src/)

Container Port

The port your application listens on inside the container. The default is 8000.

Appliku configures Nginx to proxy incoming HTTP traffic to this port. Make sure your application binds to this port, or update this setting to match.

Additional Options

Skip Release Command

When enabled, the release process is skipped during deployment. This is useful if you want to temporarily bypass migrations or other release steps without removing the release process definition.

Expose Web Port

Controls whether the application's web port is exposed through Nginx. Disable this for applications that do not serve HTTP traffic, such as background workers or consumers.

Update Nginx on Deploy

When enabled, Appliku regenerates the Nginx configuration on each deployment. This is the default and recommended behavior. Disable it only if you have a custom Nginx configuration that should not be overwritten.

Static Site

Enable this toggle if your application is a static site (HTML, CSS, JavaScript files only). When enabled:

  • Appliku serves the built files directly through Nginx without running a persistent application process
  • Specify the output directory that contains your built static files (e.g., build/, dist/, public/)

Configuration via appliku.yml

All build settings can also be defined in your appliku.yml file, which is applied automatically on each deploy.