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Introduction

To develop and host on Square Cloud, it’s essential to follow a structured sequence of configurations and prerequisites. This technical guide will cover the entire process, from initial setup to production deployment.

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Prerequisites

  • Square Cloud Account: Register through the signup page using your email.
  • Active Paid Plan: Ensures dedicated resources and optimized performance for your application. Check our available plans and choose the most suitable for your needs.

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Creating project

To create a Flask application, you need to have Python and pip installed on your system before following the steps.

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Installing library

With Python and pip installed, create your Flask project. First, install the required dependencies:
Terminal
pip install flask

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Developing project

Create a Python file (for example, app.py) and add the following code to implement a basic Flask application:
app.py
# Import the Flask class from the flask module
from flask import Flask

# Create an instance of the Flask class
app = Flask(__name__)

# Define a route for the root URL (/) that returns 'Hello, World!'
@app.route('/')
def hello_world():
  return 'Hello, World!'

# Check if this script is being run directly (not imported as a module)
if __name__ == '__main__':
  # Run the Flask application on host 0.0.0.0 (all available network interfaces) and port 80
  app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=80)
In the code above, we implement a simple route that returns “Hello, World!” when accessed. The application is configured to run on port 80, which is the default HTTP port. Next, we need to create our dependencies file. In Python we have requirements.txt or a pyproject.toml

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Choosing a production server

Flask built-in development server is not suitable for production use. Instead, we recommend using a production-ready WSGI server like Gunicorn.

Gunicorn

Gunicorn is a Python WSGI HTTP server for UNIX. It’s a pre-fork worker model, which means that it forks multiple worker processes to handle requests. This makes it a great choice for running python web applications in production.

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Deploying

After preparing your project files, you can now upload them to Square Cloud and host your project. To do so, create a ZIP file containing all your project files.

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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

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Via CLI

To use this method, you need to create a config file named squarecloud.app in the root directory of your project. This file will contain the necessary configuration for your project.

Learn more about: how to create the configuration file for Square Cloud.

The squarecloud.app file is a configuration file that will be used to configure your application; it will be used to define your environment.
1

Install the CLI

First, you need to have the CLI installed in your environment. If you don’t have it yet, run the following command in your terminal:
npm install -g @squarecloud/cli
If you already have it, we recommend updating it. To do this, run the following command in your terminal:
squarecloud update
2

Authenticate

Now, to authenticate and use other CLI commands, you will find your authorization key here by clicking on “Request API Key”. After obtaining your authorization key, run the following command:
squarecloud auth login
3

Upload Your Project

Finally, to deploy your application to Square Cloud using the CLI, you need to run the following command:
squarecloud upload
Or if you created the zip manually, you can use:
squarecloud upload --file <path/to/zip>

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Additional resources

For more detailed information about Flask and its advanced tools, visit the official Flask documentation. There you will find in-depth technical guides, specialized tutorials, and full API documentation to make the most of Flask’s features.

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Troubleshooting

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Custom Domain

To use a custom domain (e.g., mysite.com) instead of the default URL mysite.squareweb.app, you need the Standard plan or higher. The subdomain is defined by the SUBDOMAIN field in the configuration file. See: How to set up your custom domain.

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Minimum RAM Requirements

Minimum: 512MB RAM for simple websites/APIs. For sites with frameworks (Next.JS, React, Vue, Angular, etc.), we always recommend at least 1GB RAM. For larger applications, use more RAM to avoid LACK_OF_RAM error and ensure performance.

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Could not find this site.

Check if the subdomain/domain matches what’s configured in the SUBDOMAIN field or in the custom domain settings. If you just uploaded the site, wait up to 60 seconds for Square to enable first access.
Cloudflare site not found error

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Site took too long to respond…

Check if you correctly configured port 80 and host 0.0.0.0 in the application. We recommend using Square’s forced environment variables: PORT and HOST from the .env file.
Cloudflare request timeout error

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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.