One Click Deployment - Deploy Apps to Your VPS in Minutes

Q: How do I deploy a Node.js app to a VPS without using the command line?

Open CtrlOps, click your server, and hit Add Application in the File Manager toolbar. Fill one form: the GitHub repo and branch, the Node version, your app type, environment variables, and optionally a domain. Click Create. CtrlOps clones the repo, installs dependencies, builds, starts the app under PM2, writes the Nginx config and issues the SSL certificate - and you watch each step turn green in a live terminal. No apt, no nano, no certbot.

Q: Can I deploy a private GitHub repository?

Yes. Switch the repository field to SSH and add the server public key to the repo as a GitHub deploy key first - you can copy that key straight from the SSH Management tab. Over HTTPS, only public repos will clone.

How It Works

Step 01 - You

Connect.

Paste your GitHub repo and name the branch. HTTPS for public repos, SSH for private ones. That is the entire first card.

Step 02 - You

Configure.

Pick Node.js, React, Next.js or a static build - and the install, build and start commands fill themselves in. Paste your whole .env at once, add a domain, flip on SSL.

Step 03 - CtrlOps

Deploy.

Clone, install, build, PM2, Nginx, certbot. Six steps go green in a live terminal while you watch. Then the site is up.

How It Works

Step 01 - You

Connect.

Paste your GitHub repo and name the branch. HTTPS for public repos, SSH for private ones. That is the entire first card.

Step 02 - You

Configure.

Pick Node.js, React, Next.js or a static build - and the install, build and start commands fill themselves in. Paste your whole .env at once, add a domain, flip on SSL.

Step 03 - CtrlOps

Deploy.

Clone, install, build, PM2, Nginx, certbot. Six steps go green in a live terminal while you watch. Then the site is up.

ctrlops - add application · prod-web

Basic information

Application name

Storefront

Environment

Production

folder /home/ubuntu/storefront

HTTPSSSH

github.com/you/storefront.gitmain

Public repo over HTTPS. Private repos use SSH with a deploy key.

Node.js version

v20.11.0v22.3.0 - not installed, CtrlOps adds it

Application type

Node.jsReactNext.jsBuild Folder

Install command

npm install

Build command

npm run build

Start command

npm start

filled in from your framework

6 variablesstorefront.devSSL on

Deployment progress

Clone repositoryCloning into 'storefront'...

Install dependenciesadded 412 packages in 38s

Build applicationCompiled successfully

Start with PM2[PM2] storefront online

Configure Nginxnginx: test is successful

Issue SSL certificateCertificate issued

https://storefront.devLive

Same App, Two Ways

Thirteen commands. Every single time.

Both sides put the same Next.js app on the same $6 VPS, live on HTTPS. Left: apt, nodesource, git, npm, PM2, an Nginx config you will get wrong, certbot. Right: one form. Watch which one is still typing.

terminal - you@laptop

$ ssh root@203.0.113.10

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

$ curl -fsSL deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo bash -

$ sudo apt install -y nodejs git nginx

$ git clone github.com/you/storefront.git

$ cd storefront && npm install

$ nano .env # 14 vars, by hand

$ npm run build

FATAL ERROR: JavaScript heap out of memory

$ export NODE_OPTIONS=--max-old-space-size=4096

$ npm run build

$ sudo npm i -g pm2

$ pm2 start npm --name storefront -- start

$ sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/storefront

$ sudo nginx -t

nginx: [emerg] unknown directive "proxy_pass_"

$ sudo certbot --nginx -d storefront.dev

$

The ritual

13 commands · 2 files edited · 2 failures · ~47 min

CtrlOps

1 form · 0 commands · ~4 min

We wrote the whole ritual down, step by step, if you want to see exactly what you are skipping

Try It Here

Fill the form. Watch it go live.

A working replica of the Add Application form, wired to a fake server. Point it at a repo, pick your stack, paste an .env, add a domain - then hit Create and watch all six steps go green. Nothing leaves your browser.

ctrlops - add application · prod-web

01

Basic Information

or paste your own

Application name/home/ubuntu/Environment

GitHub repository

02

Node.js Version

Already on the server.

03

Build Configuration

pick a type

Application type

Install commandBuild commandStart command

Pick a framework and the three commands fill themselves in.

04

Environment Variables

none yet

No environment variables yet. Add them one at a time, or paste your whole .env in one go.

05

Domains

optional

Set up SSL certificates for domains (using Certbot)

Skip this and the app is reachable at http://203.0.113.10:3000. You can add a domain later.

Application name is required

Demo form. In the app this deploys to any Linux box you can SSH into.

Deployment docs The 13-step manual version Deploying Next.js Fix a broken build with the AI Terminal

Inside the deploy form

Small form. A lot of ground.

Four app types, Node installed on demand, a whole .env pasted at once, certbot wired for you - and the AI Terminal one tab away when a build misbehaves.

Four app types, zero Dockerfiles

Node.js, React, Next.js, or a static build folder. No Dockerfile, no docker-compose.yml, no build layers to debug. CtrlOps runs your app the way you would run it yourself.

Node.jsReactNext.jsBuild Folder

Dockerfiledocker-compose.yml

The commands fill themselves in

Pick your framework and the install, build and start commands appear. Change any of them if your project is different - yarn, pnpm, a custom start script.

installnpm installauto

buildnpm run buildauto

startnpm startauto

Node, installed on demand

Pick any version. If the server does not have it, CtrlOps installs it as part of the deploy. No nvm, no PPA hunting.

v20.11.0installed

v22.3.0we add it

Paste your whole .env

Bulk-paste your local .env in one go. Comments are ignored, quotes and special characters survive. Edit it later from the folder page.

# database

DATABASE_URL=postgres://...

STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_...

6 variables

Broke mid-deploy? Ask the terminal.

The failing step's output is right there - no hunting through journalctl. Hand the error to the AI Terminal and it writes the fix, then waits for your approval before running it.

×Build application

why did the build fail?

From real users

The part everyone used to dread.

What happens when the scariest thing you do all week turns into a form.

I don't know DevOps or Linux commands. But I opened CtrlOps, asked the AI Terminal in plain English what to do, and it walked me through everything step by step. I deployed my website. By myself. For the first time.

UK

Urvesh Kavar

UI/UX Product Designer

deployments don't stress me out anymore, and that feels weird to say lol. paste repo, fill env, toggle SSL, done. Genuinely cannot remember the last time something broke mid-deploy since switching to this.

B

Bhavesh

Been exploring the product recently, and it already includes: • AI-assisted terminal with command approval • Real-time server monitoring • SSH management • Remote file manager • Backups & automation scripts • Multi-server management • One-click GitHub deployments Everything works directly over SSH, and credentials stay local 🔐

AP

Ajay Patel

Co-founder & CEO of CleVision

Honestly didn't expect much. But my DevOps workflow has genuinely shifted... I'm doing in 10 minutes what used to take an hour. If you manage servers, just try it.

CP

Chintan P.

Co-founder & CEO of BytezTech

SSH into 10 servers, debug a crash, and deploy a fix - all without leaving one app? CtrlOps is a local-first desktop DevOps tool that translates plain English into bash, manages fleets, and keeps your credentials 100% on-device.

E

EveryDev.ai

The AI Terminal with an Approval Gate: being able to ask for a fix in plain English is great, but the fact that it shows you the command and asks for approval before running it on live infrastructure is a massive safety net.

CP

Chintan P.

Co-founder & CEO of BytezTech

For months, deployments terrified me - I'm not a DevOps guy. Every push to production made my stomach drop, so I delayed, avoided, and shipped less.

NS

Niraj Sheladiya 🦁

Co-founder of AutoReels

Read all 34 reviews

Where your code actually goes

Your code. Your server. No build cloud.

The clone, the build and the app all happen on your VPS, over your own SSH connection. There is no CtrlOps build cloud, no edge network in front of your traffic, and no bandwidth meter running.

Your source never touches us

The clone and the build run on your server, over your own SSH connection. CtrlOps is a desktop app - there is no build cloud to breach, and your .env lands on your own disk instead of a vendor secret store.

It's just PM2, Nginx and certbot

No Docker, no proprietary runtime, no lock-in. Uninstall CtrlOps tomorrow and the app keeps serving - pm2 list and nginx -t still work, because that is all it ever was.

No bandwidth bill. No cold starts.

Your $6 VPS serves the traffic. There is no per-seat price, no function invocation count, and no overage email at the end of a good month.

Straight about the limits

JavaScript only. Node.js, React, Next.js and static builds. No Python, PHP, Go or Docker containers - if that is your stack, this is not your tool yet.
No re-deploy button yet. New commits are git pull, npm install, npm run build, pm2 restart - four lines you can save as a Script and run with one click.
Env edits need a restart. Changing an environment variable does not restart the app on its own. Run pm2 restart <app-name> after you edit it.

Read the full security model

Keep exploring

More you can do with CtrlOps.

Real-Time Infra Monitoring

Live CPU, memory, disk, and network for every server, streamed as it happens.

Multi-Server Management

Your whole fleet in one app. Switch servers by alias, forget IPs, and never lose your place.

Visual File Management

Browse, upload, download, and unzip remote files in one click. No more scp gymnastics.

Keep reading

Go deeper on shipping to your own box.

Article

How to Deploy a Node.js App on a Linux VPS in 5 Minutes (2026)

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Read article

Article

How to Deploy a Next.js App on a Linux VPS in 5 Minutes (2026)

The build step, NEXT_PUBLIC_ variables, SSR memory growth, and the Vercel-vs-VPS cost math on a real app.

Read article

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15 Best AI DevOps Tools for Small Teams in 2026

Real workflow comparisons, a phased automation roadmap, and the server ops layer every other guide misses.

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Deployment FAQ

Questions before you point it at prod.

One-click deployment is a process where you deploy an application to a server by filling a single form and clicking one button instead of manually setting up dependencies, process managers, web servers, and SSL certificates. CtrlOps lets you paste a GitHub repo URL, add environment variables and a domain, and click Create. It handles cloning, building, PM2, Nginx, and SSL automatically in 4-5 minutes.

No. CtrlOps was built for developers without DevOps expertise. Paste your GitHub repo URL, add your environment variables, enter your domain, toggle SSL on, and click Create. CtrlOps handles the rest.

Open CtrlOps, click your server, and hit Add Application in the File Manager toolbar. Fill one form: the GitHub repo and branch, the Node version, your app type, environment variables, and optionally a domain. Click Create. CtrlOps clones the repo, installs dependencies, builds, starts the app under PM2, writes the Nginx config and issues the SSL certificate - and you watch each step turn green in a live terminal. No apt, no nano, no certbot.

For a Next.js, React or Node.js app, yes - with one difference that matters: the app runs on a VPS you own. Vercel gives you a great deploy button attached to their infrastructure, their bandwidth meter and their per-seat price. CtrlOps gives you the same button on a $6 box, with your .env on your own disk. What you give up is their edge network and preview deployments. We did the cost math on a real Next.js app if you want the numbers.

Node.js, React, Next.js, and static build folder apps. Not Python, PHP, Go, or Docker containers. CtrlOps reads your stack from package.json and fills in the install, build and start commands for you. If your project is not a JavaScript project, this is not the right tool for it yet.

No. There are no containers anywhere in the flow. CtrlOps runs your app the way you would run it yourself: npm install, npm run build, then PM2 keeps the process alive and Nginx proxies to it. That is also why there is nothing to lock you in - pm2 list works whether CtrlOps is installed or not. If you do want containers, Dokploy is the better fit, and we say so.

Yes. Switch the repository field to SSHand add the server's public key to the repo as a GitHub deploy key first - you can copy that key straight from the SSH Management tab. Over HTTPS, only public repos will clone.

Yes, with certbot. Toggle SSL on in the Domains card, give it the port your app listens on, and add your domain - adding yoursite.com automatically covers www.yoursite.com too. The one prerequisite is DNS: the A record must already point at this server before you deploy, or certbot cannot validate it - a quick DNS record lookup confirms it in a second.

Honestly: there is no re-deploy button yet. Today you pull and restart - git pull, npm install, npm run build if you have a build step, then pm2 restart <app-name>. Save those four lines as a Script and it becomes one click next time.

CtrlOps is $7 per user per month, with a 1-month free trial that needs no credit card. Deployment is not a separate add-on - it sits in the same desktop app as the AI Terminal, the file manager and monitoring. The server is yours, so there is no bandwidth bill on top.

Get started

Paste a repo. Get a live site.

Node.js, React and Next.js from GitHub to a VPS you own - PM2, Nginx and SSL handled for you. 1-month free trial, no credit card.

✓ Start instantly·✓ No credit card·✓ No sneaky autorenewals

Deploy like Vercel. On a server you own.

How One Click Deployment Works

Thirteen commands. Every single time.

Fill the form. Watch it go live.

Small form. A lot of ground.

Four app types, zero Dockerfiles

The commands fill themselves in

Node, installed on demand

Paste your whole .env

Broke mid-deploy? Ask the terminal.

The part everyone used to dread.

Your code. Your server. No build cloud.

Your source never touches us

It's just PM2, Nginx and certbot

No bandwidth bill. No cold starts.

Straight about the limits

More you can do with CtrlOps.

Real-Time Infra Monitoring

Multi-Server Management

Visual File Management

Go deeper on shipping to your own box.

How to Deploy a Node.js App on a Linux VPS in 5 Minutes (2026)

How to Deploy a Next.js App on a Linux VPS in 5 Minutes (2026)

15 Best AI DevOps Tools for Small Teams in 2026

Questions before you point it at prod.

Paste a repo. Get a live site.