Deploy Deno Fresh to your own VPS with deno serve

To deploy Deno Fresh to a VPS with ox, add the repo as a project and deploy it, with no Dockerfile and no ox.toml. ox reads deno.json and deno.lock, runs deno install --frozen and deno task build, then starts deno serve --host 127.0.0.1 --port $PORT -A _fresh/server.js under systemd behind Caddy with HTTPS. 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 Deno Fresh repo in ox's tests. A deploy on a real server is not recorded yet.

What ox detects in a Deno Fresh repo

This is the plan ox check prints for a minimal a Deno Fresh app, 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 Deno Fresh

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: [app] keeps the detected start command and build.

domains = ["www.example.com"]

[app]

Check and deploy Deno Fresh

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 logs <project> --follow             # the app's own logs

Variables to set for Deno Fresh

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 Deno Fresh deploy fails

• ox starts a Deno app only from a start task that runs deno serve; set [app] start to a command that listens on 127.0.0.1:$PORT: Make the start task in deno.json run deno serve, or set [app] start. More.
• 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.
• TCP connect to 127.0.0.1:8001 did not answer within 120s: dial tcp 127.0.0.1:8001: connect: connection refused: The app started but never answered on the port ox gave it. Listen on 127.0.0.1 at $PORT; the lines above the message are the app's own output. More.

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

Next steps

• The [tools] keys: pin a runtime version.
• The [app] keys: start, health check, memory and the rest.
• Add a custom domain with one A record; Caddy gets the HTTPS certificate.
• Read the logs live, search them, or download them.
• Set variables and secrets on the dashboard or with ox vars.

Deno Fresh FAQ

Do I need a Dockerfile or an ox.toml to deploy Deno Fresh to a VPS?

No. ox does not use Docker, and ox check on a Deno Fresh 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 Deno Fresh?

Only what the plan names: deno 2 (ox's default). Your app's own dependencies are installed by the build into the release folder, not system-wide.

Which start does ox run for Deno?

A start task that runs deno serve. ox puts its own host and port flags in, so the app listens on 127.0.0.1 at $PORT.

Related guides

• FlaskDeploy a Flask app to your own VPS: ox installs with uv from requirements.txt, runs gunicorn app:app under systemd behind Caddy, and adds PostgreSQL.
• SymfonyDeploy Symfony to your own VPS: ox runs composer install for prod, Doctrine migrations and FrankenPHP under systemd, and asks for APP_SECRET first.

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