One command quickstart

If your project is in a git repository with a remote, three commands take it from your laptop to a running app on your server:

levelrail-cli login --device
levelrail-cli up --with postgres
levelrail-cli open shop

up reads the directory, works out how to build it, creates the app, creates and connects the database, builds from your git remote and prints the app’s URL. Push your code to the remote first: the server builds from git, not from your working copy.

What `up` infers

Each value comes from the first of these that has one: a flag, your app spec (app.yaml), detection, a default. up prints every value with where it came from, so you know what to change.

Value	Flag	App spec	Detection	Default
Name	`--name`	the service key	the directory name	none
Port	`--port`	`port`	Dockerfile `EXPOSE`, or the framework (Node 3000, Python 8000, Go and Java 8080)	none
Build	none	`build.type`	Dockerfile, otherwise Railpack, or a static site for a bare `index.html`	none
Repository	`--repo`	none	the `origin` remote	none
Branch	`--ref`	none	the current branch	`main`
Image repo	none	none	none	the app name
Replicas, strategy	`--replicas`, `--strategy`	`replicas`, `strategy`	none	1, blue-green
Memory, CPU	`--memory`, `--cpu`	`resources`	none	unlimited
Domain	`--domain`	`domains`	none	the automatic URL

A Node project without a Dockerfile works: it builds with Railpack. A project in a subdirectory of a monorepo (levelrail-cli up apps/web) builds from that subdirectory.

See the plan first

--dry-run prints what was inferred and the exact commands up runs, and changes nothing:

levelrail-cli up --dry-run --with postgres --domain shop.example.com --memory 512Mi

up: .
  note: detected Node.js (Express)
  name            shop                                     (detected)
  port            3000                                     (detected)
  build           railpack                                 (detected)
  repo            https://github.com/acme/shop.git         (git remote)
  ref             main                                     (default)
  image repo      shop                                     (default)
  replicas        1                                        (default)
  strategy        blue-green                               (default)
  domain          shop.example.com                         (flag)
  resources       512Mi                                    (flag)
  database        shop-postgres (postgres)                 (default)
plan (new app):
  levelrail-cli apps create --name shop --port 3000 --repo https://github.com/acme/shop.git --ref main --image-repo shop --build-type railpack
  levelrail-cli apps scale shop --memory 512Mi
  levelrail-cli databases create --name shop-postgres --engine postgres --version <engine default>
  levelrail-cli apps connect shop shop-postgres --env-var DATABASE_URL
  levelrail-cli apps domains add shop shop.example.com

On a terminal, up asks for confirmation before it changes anything. Pass --yes in scripts.

Run it again

up is safe to repeat. A second run finds the app, database, connection and domain it already made, changes only settings that differ from what you asked for, and rebuilds from your latest push. Nothing is created twice. If a step fails partway, up stops and says what to run. For example, if the database exists but connecting it fails, no build starts, and the message names levelrail-cli apps connect and says re-running up is safe.

Advanced flags

Flag	What it does
`--name`, `--port`	Override the inferred name and port.
`--domain`	Add a domain after the deploy, with automatic DNS when a provider is connected.
`--with postgres,redis`	Create and connect databases. Use `postgres:16` to pin a version. The first database of a kind is injected as `DATABASE_URL`, `REDIS_URL` or `MONGODB_URL`.
`--replicas`, `--strategy`	Replica count and `rolling`, `recreate` or `blue-green`.
`--memory`, `--cpu`	Resource limits, for example `512Mi` or `2Gi` and `0.5` cores.
`--repo`, `--ref`	Build a different repository or branch.
`--secret KEY=VALUE`	Give a secret that your `app.yaml` declares as required.
`--dry-run`, `--yes`	Print the plan only, or skip the confirmation prompt.

For anything up does not cover, use the commands it expands to: apps create, apps scale, apps connect, apps domains add. An app.yaml in the project replaces detection, and flags still override it.

Day to day

levelrail-cli logs shop
levelrail-cli env set shop LOG_LEVEL=debug --apply
levelrail-cli apps scale shop --memory 1Gi
levelrail-cli rollback shop
levelrail-cli backup shop-postgres

rollback without --image goes back to the previous successful deploy. backup uses your only backup target when there is exactly one. Run levelrail-cli help for the everyday verbs and levelrail-cli help advanced for the rest. See the CLI reference for every command and the getting started guide for the server install.

Install and deploy

Add to your setup

Guides

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One command quickstart

What `up` infers

See the plan first

Run it again

Advanced flags

Day to day

​What up infers

​See the plan first

​Run it again

​Advanced flags

​Day to day

What `up` infers

See the plan first

Run it again

Advanced flags

Day to day