Build & Deploy

This page covers the complete build and deployment lifecycle — from build modes and environment variables to health checks, cron jobs, and AI-powered diagnostics.

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Build Modes

Web.Casa supports two build modes for deploying applications:

Bare Metal (systemd)

The application is built and run directly on the host, managed as a systemd service.

• Dependencies are installed on the host
• The application process is managed by systemd with automatic restart
• Best for Node.js apps, Go binaries, Python apps, and other server-side applications

Docker (Dockerfile)

The application is containerized using a Dockerfile in the repository.

• Web.Casa builds a Docker image from the Dockerfile
• A container is created and started from the built image
• Best for applications with complex dependencies or when you need environment isolation

Mode	Managed By	Isolation	Best For
Bare Metal	systemd	Process-level	Simple apps, low overhead
Docker	Docker daemon	Container-level	Complex deps, reproducibility

Choose Bare Metal for simplicity and lower resource overhead. Choose Docker when you need full environment isolation or when your app has a Dockerfile already.

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Build Configuration

Customize the build pipeline for each project:

Setting	Description	Example
Install command	Dependency installation	npm install, pip install -r requirements.txt
Build command	Compile or bundle the app	npm run build, go build -o app
Start command	Launch the application	npm start, ./app, python manage.py runserver
Build timeout	Max build duration (minutes)	10

Resource Limits

Prevent builds from consuming excessive server resources:

Limit	Description
Memory (MB)	Maximum memory the build process can use
CPU (%)	Maximum CPU percentage allocated to the build
Build timeout (min)	Automatically cancel builds that exceed this duration

Build Cache

Web.Casa caches dependencies between builds to speed up subsequent deployments. If a build behaves unexpectedly:

1. Open your project settings.
2. Click Clear Build Cache.
3. Trigger a new deployment.

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Environment Variables

Each project has its own set of environment variables, available during both build and runtime.

Managing Variables

• Add individually — enter key-value pairs one at a time
• Import from another project — copy environment variables from an existing project
• Bulk import — paste .env format content

Security

• Sensitive values are masked in the UI and build logs
• Variables are stored encrypted on the server
• Only users with project access can view or edit variables

Use environment variables for database URLs, API keys, secrets, and any configuration that should not be hardcoded in your repository.

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Domain Configuration

Optionally assign a domain to your deployed project:

1. Enter a domain name in the project settings.
2. Web.Casa automatically creates a reverse proxy configuration.
3. Point your domain’s DNS to the server IP.

The reverse proxy routes incoming traffic to your application’s port, handling TLS termination if configured.

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Health Checks

Configure health checks to monitor your application after deployment:

Setting	Description	Default
Path	HTTP endpoint to check (e.g., /health, /)	/
Timeout	Seconds to wait for a response	5
Retries	Number of failed checks before marking unhealthy	3

Web.Casa periodically sends HTTP requests to the health check path. If the application fails to respond within the configured timeout after the specified number of retries, it is marked as unhealthy.

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Processes

Web.Casa supports multiple processes per project. This is useful for applications that need:

• A web server process
• A background worker process
• A scheduler process

Each process can have its own start command and is managed independently.

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Cron Jobs

Schedule recurring tasks for each project:

1. Navigate to the Cron tab in your project.
2. Click Add Cron Job.
3. Configure:
   • Schedule — standard cron expression (e.g., 0 */6 * * * for every 6 hours)
   • Command — the command to execute

Cron jobs run in the context of your project with access to its environment variables.

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Build Logs & Runtime Logs

Build Logs

Every deployment generates a complete build log showing:

• Dependency installation output
• Build command output
• Deployment steps
• Any errors or warnings

Runtime Logs

View your application’s runtime output:

• stdout and stderr streams
• Real-time streaming with auto-scroll
• Useful for debugging runtime issues

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AI-Powered Features

Web.Casa integrates AI capabilities to assist with deployment tasks:

AI Build Diagnosis

When a build fails, AI analyzes the build logs and provides:

• Root cause identification — pinpoints the likely cause of failure
• Fix suggestions — actionable steps to resolve the issue
• Common patterns — recognizes frequent errors like missing dependencies, version mismatches, or configuration issues

AI Code Review

Get AI-powered feedback on your full project source code before or after deployment. The AI reviews the entire project, not just recent diffs.

Smart Environment Variable Suggestions

AI analyzes your project structure and suggests environment variables that may be needed, based on:

• Framework requirements
• Database connections detected in code
• Third-party service integrations

Rollback Advice

When issues arise after deployment, you can ask the AI assistant in chat for rollback recommendations. The AI reviews deployment history and provides guidance on whether to rollback and which deployment to target. This is an AI chat capability, not an automatic standalone feature.

AI features are designed to assist, not replace, your judgment. Always review AI suggestions before applying them.