Deploy an Astro static site to your own VPS server

To deploy an Astro site to a VPS with ox, add the repo as a project and deploy it, with no Dockerfile and no ox.toml. ox reads astro.config.mjs and package.json, runs npm install and npm run build, and Caddy serves dist over HTTPS with no app process. Run ox check in your repo to see the same plan before the first deploy.

Plan verified, real-server test pending. The plan below is what ox check prints for a minimal Astro repo in ox's tests. A deploy on a real server is not recorded yet.

What ox detects in a Astro repo

This is the plan ox check prints for a minimal an Astro static site, with no ox.toml. Each row says where its value came from: a file in the repo, or ox's default.

The ox.toml for Astro

None is needed: the plan above comes from the repo alone. Write one to serve your own domain or to change what ox detected. This one passes ox check against the same repo: [static] needs its dir, and the build stays detected.

domains = ["www.example.com"]

[static]
dir = "dist"

Check and deploy Astro

Add the repo as a project, then check and ship it from a terminal:

ox check                                # in the repo: the plan above, offline
ox new <owner/repo> --server <server>  # add the repo as a project
ox deploy <project> --wait              # stream the deploy, exit with its result
ox runs <project>                      # past deploys, with their ids
ox logs <project> --run <id>         # one deploy's log

A static site has no app process, so its log is the deploy's own: ox runs lists them and --run reads one.

Variables to set for Astro

None before the first deploy: ox check asks for no variable. Add your own on the dashboard's Variables tab or with ox vars set <project> KEY.

ox provides these to the app itself: PORT, HOST, OX_ENV, OX_PROJECT, OX_RELEASE, OX_DATA_DIR, PUBLIC_URL and PUBLIC_HOST.

If the Astro deploy fails

• build 1/1: npm run build: exit status 1: Your build failed. The lines above it are the build's own output; run the same command on your computer, fix it, and push. More.
• the build left no dist directory: The build wrote its files somewhere else. Set [static] dir to the folder your build makes. More.
• nothing to run: ox found no start command, static site, worker, or cron job; set [app] start (or declare [workers]): ox check found nothing to serve, such as a config file it needs that is missing. Set [app] start or [static] dir in an ox.toml. More.

Your visitors never see a failed deploy: the previous release keeps serving until the new one passes its health check.

Next steps

• The static site guide: Vite, Astro and plain HTML with a full ox.toml.
• The [static] keys: the folder Caddy serves, single-page mode and an API beside it.
• Add a custom domain with one A record; Caddy gets the HTTPS certificate.
• Roll back to an earlier release without a rebuild.

Astro FAQ

Do I need a Dockerfile or an ox.toml to deploy an Astro site to a VPS?

No. ox does not use Docker, and ox check on a Astro repo with no ox.toml prints Ready to deploy. Write an ox.toml only to change what ox detected.

What does ox install on the server for Astro?

Only what the plan names: node 24 (ox's default). Your app's own dependencies are installed by the build into the release folder, not system-wide.

What changes when I add a server adapter?

The plan does. With @astrojs/node in astro.config.mjs, ox runs node dist/server/entry.mjs instead of serving files; the Astro SSR guide shows that plan.

Related guides

• Astro SSRDeploy an Astro app with the @astrojs/node adapter to your own VPS: ox builds it, runs dist/server/entry.mjs under systemd, with Caddy and HTTPS in front.
• SvelteKitDeploy a SvelteKit app with adapter-node to your own VPS: ox reads svelte.config.js, builds it, runs node build under systemd, and Caddy adds HTTPS.

Every stack ox deploys, and the ones it does not yet, is on the Stacks page.