Deploy a Fastify API with PostgreSQL to a VPS

Q: Do I need a Dockerfile or an ox.toml to deploy Fastify to a VPS?

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

Q: What does ox install on the server for Fastify?

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.

Q: Does Fastify need a start script?

Not for ox. With Fastify as a dependency and one server.js at the root, ox runs node server.js. A start script, when you add one, wins.

To deploy Fastify to a VPS with ox, add the repo as a project and deploy it, with no Dockerfile and no ox.toml. ox reads server.js and package.json, runs npm install, then starts node server.js under systemd behind Caddy with HTTPS, and sets up postgres 18 for it. 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 Fastify repo in ox's tests. A deploy on a real server is not recorded yet.

ox reads server.js and package.json, builds the plan on the card, and starts node server.js on your server. The cylinders are the services the repo asked for.

What ox detects in a Fastify repo

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

Field	Value	Source
`app.start`	`node server.js`	`detected:server.js`
`build.install`	`npm install`	`detected:package.json`
`tools.node`	`24`	`default`
`services.postgres`	`postgres 18 (shared)`	`detected:package.json`

The ox.toml for Fastify

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. Once a repo has an ox.toml, ox adds no service itself, so list each one under [services].

ox.toml, optional

domains = ["www.example.com"]

[app]

[services]
postgres = {}

Check and deploy Fastify

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

Check, deploy and read the logs

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 Fastify

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, PUBLIC_HOST and DATABASE_URL.

If the Fastify deploy fails

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.
package.json has no start script, and no web framework ox knows (express, fastify) is a dependency; add a start script or set [app] start: Give package.json a start script that runs your server. More.
web of shop on main keeps crashing: systemd restarted it 5 times in the last 10 minutes. The Logs tab shows why.: The release went live and then kept dying. Read the Logs tab for the error and deploy a fix, or roll back. More.

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

Next steps

The Node.js guide: start scripts, migrations, PostgreSQL and Redis.
The [app] keys: start, health check, memory and the rest.
Service dashboards: your database's status, size, backups and data.
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.

Fastify FAQ

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

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

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.

Does Fastify need a start script?

Not for ox. With Fastify as a dependency and one server.js at the root, ox runs node server.js. A start script, when you add one, wins.

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