appliku.yml Reference

This is the full specification reference for the appliku.yml configuration file. Place this file in the root directory of your application repository to define build settings, processes, databases, volumes, and cron jobs.

For a guide-oriented introduction, see appliku.yml Configuration.

Top-Level Keys

build_settings:   # Build and deployment configuration
services:         # Application processes
databases:        # Database services to provision
volumes:          # Persistent storage volumes
cronjobs:         # Scheduled tasks
commands:         # Saved commands for the Run Command autocomplete

All top-level keys are optional. You can define only the sections you need.

---

build_settings

Configures how your application is built and prepared for deployment.

Key	Type	Required	Default	Description
build_image	string	Yes	--	Build image or dockerfile/custom
build_command	string	No	--	Command to run during the build phase
dockerfile	string	No	--	Inline Dockerfile content (when build_image is dockerfile or custom)
dockerfile_path	string	No	"Dockerfile"	Path to Dockerfile in repository
dockerfile_context_path	string	No	--	Build context path for Dockerfile
container_port	integer	No	--	Port your application listens on
release_command	string	No	--	Command to run after build, before deployment (e.g., migrations)
skip_release_command	boolean	No	false	Skip the release command
expose_web_port	boolean	No	false	Expose container port on all interfaces
is_static_site	boolean	No	false	Mark as a static site
output_directory	string	No	--	Directory containing built static files
environment_variables	array	No	--	Environment variable definitions

build_image Values

Python: python-3.14, python-3.13, python-3.12, python-3.11, python-3.10, python-3.9, python-3.8

Python with uv: python-3.14-uv, python-3.13-uv, python-3.12-uv, python-3.11-uv

Python + Node.js: python-3.14-node-25.6, python-3.13-node-20.18, python-3.12-node-20.10, python-3.11-node-20.10, python-3.10-node-20.10

Python (uv) + Node.js: python-3.14-uv-node-25.6, python-3.13-uv-node-25.6, python-3.12-uv-node-25.6, python-3.11-uv-node-25.6

Node.js: node-25-npm, node-24-npm, node-22-npm, node-20-npm, node-20-yarn

Ruby: ruby-3.4.1, ruby-3.3-rails

Alternative: pypy2, pypy3

Custom: dockerfile (from repository), custom (inline in dashboard)

Static Sites: no-build-static (requires is_static_site: true)

environment_variables

Each entry in the environment_variables array supports several formats:

Static value:

environment_variables:
  - name: MY_VAR
    value: my_value

From database (public connection URL):

environment_variables:
  - name: DATABASE_URL
    from_database:
      name: db
      property: connection_url

From database (private/internal connection URL):

environment_variables:
  - name: DATABASE_URL
    from_database:
      name: db
      property: private_connection_url

From domains (comma-separated list of all application domains):

environment_variables:
  - name: ALLOWED_HOSTS
    from_domains: true

Manual (placeholder for user-provided values):

environment_variables:
  - name: SECRET_KEY
    source: manual

---

services

Defines the processes that run your application. Each key is the service name.

Key	Type	Required	Default	Description
command	string	Yes	--	Command to run the service
scale	integer	No	1	Number of instances
mode	string	No	"replicated"	replicated or global
placement_constraints	string	No	--	Docker Swarm placement constraints
resources_limits_memory	string	No	--	Memory limit (e.g., "512M", "2G")
resources_limits_cpus	string	No	--	CPU limit (e.g., "0.5", "2")
resources_reservations_memory	string	No	--	Memory reservation
resources_reservations_cpus	string	No	--	CPU reservation
image	string	No	--	Use an existing Docker image instead of building
volumes	array	No	--	Docker volume mounts
shm_size	string	No	--	Shared memory size
ports	array	No	--	Port mappings
mem_limit	string	No	--	Memory limit (alternative syntax)

Example

services:
  web:
    command: gunicorn project.wsgi --bind 0.0.0.0:8000
    scale: 2
    resources_limits_memory: 512M
    resources_limits_cpus: "1"
  worker:
    command: celery -A project worker -l info
    scale: 1
    resources_limits_memory: 256M
  release:
    command: python manage.py migrate

Note

The release service is special -- it runs once after each deployment (like a release command) rather than as a long-running process.

---

databases

Defines database services to provision. Each key is a name you choose (used to reference the database in environment_variables).

Key	Type	Required	Description
type	string	Yes	Database engine and version identifier

Available Types

Type Key	Engine
postgresql_18	PostgreSQL 18
postgresql_17	PostgreSQL 17
postgresql_16	PostgreSQL 16
postgresql_15	PostgreSQL 15
postgresql_12	PostgreSQL 12
postgis_16_34	PostGIS 16 + 3.4
postgis	PostGIS
postgresql_16_pgvector	PostgreSQL 16 + pgvector
timescale_db_17	TimescaleDB 17
timescale_db_17_ha	TimescaleDB 17 HA
timescale_db_15	TimescaleDB 15
mysql_8	MySQL 8
redis_8	Redis 8
redis_7	Redis 7
redis_6	Redis 6
rabbitmq	RabbitMQ
elasticsearch_8_17	Elasticsearch 8.17

Example

databases:
  db:
    type: postgresql_17
  cache:
    type: redis_7
  broker:
    type: rabbitmq

---

volumes

Defines persistent storage volumes that survive container restarts and redeployments.

Key	Type	Required	Description
target	string	Yes	Mount path inside the container
url	string	No	URL path for web access (served by Nginx)
environment_variable	string	No	Env var name set to the volume path
source	string	No	Source path on host (for bind mounts)

Example

volumes:
  media:
    target: /app/media/
    url: /media/
    environment_variable: MEDIA_ROOT
  data:
    target: /app/data/
    environment_variable: DATA_PATH

Tip

When you set a url on a volume, Nginx serves files from that volume directly without passing requests to your application. This is efficient for serving user-uploaded media files.

---

cronjobs

Defines scheduled tasks that run at specified intervals using cron expressions.

Key	Type	Required	Description
schedule	string	Yes	Cron expression (e.g., "0 * * * *")
command	string	Yes	Command to execute

Cron Expression Format

┌───────────── minute (0-59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0-23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1-31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1-12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0-6, Sunday=0)
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *

Example

cronjobs:
  send_emails:
    schedule: "0 * * * *"
    command: python manage.py send_emails
  daily_backup:
    schedule: "0 2 * * *"
    command: python manage.py backup
  weekly_cleanup:
    schedule: "0 3 * * 0"
    command: python manage.py cleanup_old_records

Note

Cron job logs are stored on the server at /home/app/_cron_logs/<job_id>. You can view them by SSHing into the server.

---

commands

Defines a list of frequently used commands that appear as autocomplete suggestions in the Run Command tab. The list is a flat array of strings and is fully replaced on every deployment.

Type	Required	Description
list(string)	No	Ordered list of command strings

Example

commands:
  - python manage.py show_urls
  - python manage.py validate_templates
  - python manage.py check
  - python manage.py send_queued_mail

Note

Commands are suggestions only — they are never executed automatically. Users select or type a command in the Run Command tab and trigger it manually.

---

Complete Example

build_settings:
  build_image: python-3.12-node-20.10
  build_command: npm run build
  container_port: 8000
  environment_variables:
    - name: DEBUG
      value: "false"
    - name: DATABASE_URL
      from_database:
        name: db
        property: private_connection_url
    - name: REDIS_URL
      from_database:
        name: cache
        property: connection_url
    - name: ALLOWED_HOSTS
      from_domains: true
    - name: SECRET_KEY
      source: manual

services:
  web:
    command: gunicorn project.wsgi --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 --workers 3
    scale: 2
    resources_limits_memory: 512M
  worker:
    command: celery -A project worker -l info
    scale: 1
    resources_limits_memory: 256M
  release:
    command: python manage.py migrate

databases:
  db:
    type: postgresql_17
  cache:
    type: redis_7

volumes:
  media:
    target: /app/media/
    url: /media/
    environment_variable: MEDIA_ROOT

cronjobs:
  cleanup:
    schedule: "0 3 * * *"
    command: python manage.py cleanup_old_files
  send_reports:
    schedule: "0 8 * * 1"
    command: python manage.py send_weekly_report

commands:
  - python manage.py migrate
  - python manage.py createsuperuser
  - python manage.py shell

Related Pages

• appliku.yml Configuration -- guide-oriented introduction
• Build Images
• Predefined Dockerfiles
• Database Types