# Deploy NestJS to a VPS with PostgreSQL, no Docker

Deploy a NestJS API to your own VPS: ox installs from package-lock.json, runs nest build and start:prod under systemd, and sets up PostgreSQL for the app.

To deploy NestJS to a VPS with ox, add the repo as a project and deploy it, with no Dockerfile and no ox.toml. ox reads `package.json` and `package-lock.json`, runs `npm ci` and `npm run build`, then starts `npm run start:prod` 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 NestJS repo in ox's tests. A deploy on a real server is not recorded yet.

ox reads `package.json` and `package-lock.json`, builds the plan on the card, and starts `npm run start:prod` on your server. The cylinders are the services the repo asked for.

## What ox detects in a NestJS repo

This is the plan `ox check` prints for a minimal a NestJS API, 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` | `npm run start:prod` | `detected:package.json` |
| `build.install` | `npm ci` | `detected:package-lock.json` |
| `build.commands[0]` | `npm run build` | `detected:package.json` |
| `tools.node` | `24` | `default` |
| `services.postgres` | `postgres 18 (shared)` | `detected:package.json` |

## The ox.toml for NestJS

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:

```toml
domains = ["www.example.com"]

[app]

[services]
postgres = {}
```

## Check and deploy NestJS

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

Check, deploy and read the logs:

```sh
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 NestJS

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 NestJS 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](https://deploywithox.com/docs/troubleshooting#build-failed).
- `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](https://deploywithox.com/docs/troubleshooting#health-check-failed).
- `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](https://deploywithox.com/docs/troubleshooting#crash-loop).

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](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/node): start scripts, migrations, PostgreSQL and Redis.
- [The `[app]` keys](https://deploywithox.com/docs/config#app): start, health check, memory and the rest.
- [Service dashboards](https://deploywithox.com/docs/operate/services): your database's status, size, backups and data.
- [Add a custom domain](https://deploywithox.com/docs/operate/domains) with one A record; Caddy gets the HTTPS certificate.
- [Read the logs](https://deploywithox.com/docs/operate/logs) live, search them, or download them.
- [Set variables and secrets](https://deploywithox.com/docs/operate/variables) on the dashboard or with `ox vars`.

## NestJS FAQ

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

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

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.

### Which start script does ox run for Nest?

`start:prod` when `package.json` has one, as the Nest template does. Without it ox runs the built entry, such as `node dist/main`.

## Related guides

- [**Fastify**Deploy a Fastify API to your own VPS: ox finds server.js, runs node server.js under systemd behind Caddy, and adds PostgreSQL with DATABASE_URL set.](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/fastify)
- [**Hono on Bun**Deploy a Hono API on Bun to your own VPS: ox installs Bun, runs bun install from bun.lock, and starts src/index.ts under systemd behind Caddy.](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/hono-bun)

Every stack ox deploys, and the ones it does not yet, is on the [Stacks page](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides).

Last updated 2026-10-09. The page as HTML: https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/nestjs