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Square Cloud runs Deno on the Node.js runtime: you add Deno to your project as an npm package and start your app with npx deno.

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Before you begin

  • Deno on your machine, from the official Deno installer, or the npm package (npm install deno).
  • A Square Cloud account: sign up with your email or GitHub.
  • An active plan. See the plans and pick the one that fits your project.

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Configure Square Cloud

If you upload your application through the dashboard, you can skip this section: the dashboard creates the squarecloud.app configuration file for you.

Configuration file reference

The squarecloud.app file tells Square Cloud how to run your application: its main file, memory, runtime version, name and, for a website, its subdomain.
First, add the deno package to your project’s dependencies, so that the npx deno command is available on Square Cloud. Don’t add it to devDependencies: they are not installed in production.
Then set RUNTIME=nodejs and start your app with Deno in the START field, with the permissions it needs. A complete configuration file for each kind of app:
squarecloud.app
Adjust the permissions (--allow-net, --allow-env, --allow-read and others) to what your app uses. If you use tasks defined in deno.json, start with START=npx deno task start.

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What Square Cloud runs

  • START is executed directly. For more information about configuration file parameters, visit configuration parameters.
  • If the app has no node_modules folder, Square Cloud runs npm install --no-audit --no-fund before starting it, which also installs deno and any npm modules listed in package.json. Packages in devDependencies are not installed, because the runtime sets NODE_ENV=production. When node_modules already exists, the install step is skipped.

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Port and host for websites and APIs

Deno.serve() listens on port 8000 by default and does not read the PORT environment variable. Pass the port and host yourself: Square Cloud sets PORT to 80, and 0.0.0.0 accepts connections from outside the container.
main.ts
Reading PORT needs --allow-env, and serving needs --allow-net, as in the START examples above.

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Prepare the project

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Required files

  • squarecloud.app, at the root of the ZIP.
  • Your entry file, for example main.ts.
  • package.json, which lists deno in dependencies. An upload without it fails with INVALID_DEPENDENCY.
  • Optionally, a deno.json or deno.jsonc for tasks, imports and other Deno settings.
The configuration file (squarecloud.app) must be located at the root of the zip file. Otherwise, Square Cloud will not be able to find it during deploy.

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What to leave out

  • node_modules: Square Cloud removes this folder from your upload and installs the dependencies from package.json on the first start.
  • deno_dir or .cache/deno: the Deno cache directory, which Deno fills again on the server.
  • Lockfiles: the CLI and the VS Code extension leave package-lock.json, yarn.lock and pnpm-lock.yaml out by default. When you need the exact versions of your package-lock.json, re-include it with !package-lock.json in your squarecloud.ignore.

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Troubleshooting

Deno blocks network and environment access unless you allow it. Add the flag named in the error, such as --allow-net or --allow-env, to your START command.
The minimum amount of RAM required to host a bot is 256MB and for a site/API it is 512MB. However, depending on the size and complexity of your application, it may be advisable to allocate a larger amount of RAM to avoid your application running out of memory and crashing.
For other problems, see Troubleshooting.

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Deploy

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Via dashboard

1

Access the Upload Page

Access the upload page and upload your project zip file.
2

Configure Your Environment

After uploading your zip, you will need to configure the name, main file or runtime environment and other settings for your project.
If you are uploading a web project, make sure to select “Web Publication” and set a subdomain to your project.
3

Deploy Your Project

Finally, click on the “Deploy” button to host your project on Square Cloud.
After deployment, you can monitor your project’s status and logs from the dashboard.
Uploading application to Square Cloud
4

Confirm Your App Is Live

Your first deploy usually takes less than a minute. In the dashboard, wait for your application status to show as running and check the logs for any startup errors.
If you deployed a website or API, open https://<your-subdomain>.squareweb.app in your browser: you should see your application responding. If you deployed a bot, send it a command to confirm it is online.
App not starting? See the Troubleshooting guide for the most common causes and fixes.

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Via CLI

To use this method, your project needs a configuration file named squarecloud.app at its root. It tells Square Cloud how to run your application.

Configuration file guide

Learn how to create the squarecloud.app configuration file that defines your application’s environment.
1

Install the CLI

Install the Square Cloud CLI. If you already have it, run the same command to update it:
2

Log In

Run the command below. It opens your browser: approve the login there and the CLI is ready. There is no API key to copy. For scripts and CI, see CLI authentication.
3

Upload Your Project

From your project folder, run the command below. The CLI zips the current folder, leaving out what squarecloud.ignore lists, and uploads it:
To upload a zip you created yourself, pass it with --file:
4

Confirm Your App Is Live

Your first deploy usually takes less than a minute. Check your application status and logs directly from the terminal:
If you deployed a website or API, open https://<your-subdomain>.squareweb.app in your browser: you should see your application responding. If you deployed a bot, send it a command to confirm it is online.
App not starting? See the Troubleshooting guide for the most common causes and fixes.

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Next steps

Environment variables

Keep secrets and settings out of your code and read them at runtime.

Custom domain

Serve your app on your own domain, on the Standard plan and above.

Troubleshooting

Fix an app that does not start or a site that does not respond.

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Contact us

If you continue facing technical difficulties, our specialized support team is available to assist you. Contact us and we’ll be happy to help you resolve any issue: support quality is a big part of why developers rate Square Cloud 4.9/5 across 402 reviews on Google and Trustpilot.