# Deploy a Rust web app to a VPS with cargo, no Docker

Deploy a Rust web app from a Cargo workspace to your own VPS: ox installs stable Rust, runs cargo build --release --locked, and starts the binary.

To deploy a Rust web app to a VPS with ox, add the repo as a project and deploy it, with no Dockerfile and no ox.toml. ox reads `crates/api/Cargo.toml` and `Cargo.lock`, runs `cargo build --release --locked`, then starts `target/release/api` 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 Rust repo in ox's tests. A deploy on a real server is not recorded yet.

ox reads `crates/api/Cargo.toml` and `Cargo.lock`, builds the plan on the card, and starts `target/release/api` on your server.

## What ox detects in a Rust repo

This is the plan `ox check` prints for a minimal a Rust web app in a Cargo workspace, 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` | `target/release/api` | `detected:crates/api/Cargo.toml` |
| `build.commands[0]` | `cargo build --release --locked` | `detected:Cargo.lock` |
| `tools.rust` | `stable` | `default` |

## The ox.toml for Rust

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.

ox.toml, optional:

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

[app]
```

## Check and deploy Rust

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 Rust

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 Rust deploy fails

- `several binaries in the Cargo workspace (api, worker); set [app] start = "target/release/<name>" to the one to run`: Set `[app] start` to the binary to run; run another one as a worker. [More](https://deploywithox.com/docs/config#workers).
- `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).
- `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).

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](https://deploywithox.com/docs/config#tools): pin a runtime version.
- [The `[app]` keys](https://deploywithox.com/docs/config#app): start, health check, memory and the rest.
- [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`.

## Rust FAQ

### Do I need a Dockerfile or an ox.toml to deploy a Rust web app to a VPS?

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

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

### Which binary does ox run in a workspace?

The one binary in the workspace's members, here `target/release/api`. With several, `ox check` asks you to set `[app] start` to one.

## Related guides

- [**React with Vite**Deploy a React app built with Vite to your own VPS with no Dockerfile: ox runs the build from your lockfile and Caddy serves dist over HTTPS, no ox.toml.](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/react-vite)
- [**Create React App**Deploy a Create React App project to your own VPS: ox runs react-scripts build and Caddy serves the build folder over HTTPS. No Docker, no ox.toml.](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/create-react-app)

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/rust