# Deploy a Next.js static export to your own VPS

Deploy a Next.js app with output: 'export' to your own VPS: ox runs next build and Caddy serves the out folder over HTTPS, with no Node process running.

To deploy a Next.js static export to a VPS with ox, add the repo as a project and deploy it, with no Dockerfile and no ox.toml. ox reads `next.config.mjs` and `package.json`, runs `npm install` and `npm run build`, and Caddy serves `out` 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 Next.js static export repo in ox's tests. A deploy on a real server is not recorded yet.

ox reads `next.config.mjs` and `package.json`, builds the plan on the card, and serves `out` as files on your server.

## What ox detects in a Next.js static export repo

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

| Field | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `static.dir` | `out` | `detected:next.config.mjs` |
| `build.install` | `npm install` | `detected:package.json` |
| `build.commands[0]` | `npm run build` | `detected:package.json` |
| `tools.node` | `24` | `default` |

## The ox.toml for Next.js static export

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.

ox.toml, optional:

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

[static]
dir = "out"
```

## Check and deploy Next.js static export

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 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 Next.js static export

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 Next.js static export 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).
- `the build left no dist directory`: The build wrote its files somewhere else. Set `[static] dir` to the folder your build makes. [More](https://deploywithox.com/docs/config#static).
- `killed by the out-of-memory killer (the build needs more memory than the project or host allows)`: The build ran out of memory. Raise the project's memory, add swap, or use a bigger server. [More](https://deploywithox.com/docs/troubleshooting#out-of-memory).

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

## Next steps

- [The Next.js guide](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/nextjs): `next start`, PostgreSQL and Prisma.
- [The `[static]` keys](https://deploywithox.com/docs/config#static): the folder Caddy serves, single-page mode and an API beside it.
- [Add a custom domain](https://deploywithox.com/docs/operate/domains) with one A record; Caddy gets the HTTPS certificate.
- [Roll back](https://deploywithox.com/docs/operate/rollback) to an earlier release without a rebuild.

## Next.js static export FAQ

### Do I need a Dockerfile or an ox.toml to deploy a Next.js static export to a VPS?

No. ox does not use Docker, and `ox check` on a Next.js static export 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 Next.js static export?

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 if my Next.js app needs a server?

Then leave out `output: 'export'`. ox runs `next start` for a Next.js server app; the [Next.js guide](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/nextjs) covers it.

## Related guides

- [**Gatsby**Deploy a Gatsby site to your own VPS: ox reads gatsby-config.js, runs gatsby build from package.json, and Caddy serves the public folder over HTTPS.](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/gatsby)
- [**Docusaurus**Deploy a Docusaurus documentation site to your own VPS: ox runs the build from package.json and Caddy serves the build folder over HTTPS, no ox.toml.](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/docusaurus)

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/nextjs-static-export