# Deploy SvelteKit with adapter-node to your own VPS

Deploy a SvelteKit app with adapter-node to your own VPS: ox reads svelte.config.js, builds it, runs node build under systemd, and Caddy adds HTTPS.

To deploy SvelteKit to a VPS with ox, add the repo as a project and deploy it, with no Dockerfile and no ox.toml. ox reads `svelte.config.js` and `package.json`, runs `npm install` and `npm run build`, then starts `node build` 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 SvelteKit repo in ox's tests. A deploy on a real server is not recorded yet.

ox reads `svelte.config.js` and `package.json`, builds the plan on the card, and starts `node build` on your server.

## What ox detects in a SvelteKit repo

This is the plan `ox check` prints for a minimal a SvelteKit app with adapter-node, 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 build` | `detected:svelte.config.js` |
| `build.install` | `npm install` | `detected:package.json` |
| `build.commands[0]` | `npm run build` | `detected:package.json` |
| `tools.node` | `24` | `default` |

## The ox.toml for SvelteKit

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 = ["www.example.com"]

[app]
```

## Check and deploy SvelteKit

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 SvelteKit

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 SvelteKit deploy fails

- `svelte.config.js uses @sveltejs/adapter-auto, which builds for another host; install @sveltejs/adapter-node (a server) or @sveltejs/adapter-static (a static site) and use it in svelte.config.js`: adapter-auto is the SvelteKit default and builds for other hosts. Switch to adapter-node or adapter-static. [More](https://deploywithox.com/docs/config#app).
- `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).

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.
- [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`.

## SvelteKit FAQ

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

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

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.

### Why does ox not deploy my app with adapter-auto?

adapter-auto builds for other hosts, so there is nothing for ox to run. `ox check` says to install `@sveltejs/adapter-node` for a server or `@sveltejs/adapter-static` for a site.

## Related guides

- [**SvelteKit static**Deploy a SvelteKit site built with adapter-static to your own VPS: ox reads the pages folder from svelte.config and Caddy serves it over HTTPS, no Docker.](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/sveltekit-static)
- [**Nuxt**Deploy a Nuxt app with server-side rendering to your own VPS: ox runs nuxt build, starts .output/server/index.mjs under systemd, and Caddy adds HTTPS.](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/nuxt)

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/sveltekit