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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: Hosting platform for your application. 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.
Wondering how much RAM and CPU your plan needs to host Next.js applications?
Don't worry, we're here to help. Our Standard plan offers 4GB of RAM and 4vCPU, which should be sufficient for most Next.js applications. However, if you are working on a larger project and seeking extra stability, we recommend considering our Pro plan. With additional resources, you can maintain stability even during demand spikes. To purchase, simply click here.

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Creating project

Before you begin, make sure you have Node.js and npm installed on your system. If you don’t have them yet, you can download them from the official Node.js website. To create a new Next.js project, run the following command: 
npx create-next-app@latest my-app
In this command, my-app is the name of your new project. You can replace my-app with any name you want for your project. The npx command is a tool that comes with npm, the Node.js package manager. It is used to run Node.js packages that are installed locally in your project or are available remotely on the npm registry. create-next-app is a package available on the npm registry that sets up a new Next.js project automatically. It takes care of all the initial setup, such as creating the project directory, installing necessary dependencies, and configuring basic files. @latest is a tag specifying that you want to use the latest version of the create-next-app package. This ensures you’re always using the most updated version and, consequently, have access to the latest features.

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Configuring Port 80

Port 80 is the default port for HTTP traffic. To host a Next.js website on Square Cloud, it’s crucial to configure the use of port 80. In Next.js, you can set the -p 80 parameter in the startup script to ensure your website runs correctly on this port.
package.json
{
  "name": "my-app",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "private": true,
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "next dev",
    "build": "next build",
    "start": "next start -p 80",
    "lint": "next lint"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^18",
    "react-dom": "^18",
    "next": "14.1.0"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "autoprefixer": "^10.0.1",
    "postcss": "^8",
    "tailwindcss": "^3.3.0",
    "eslint": "^8",
    "eslint-config-next": "14.1.0"
  }
}

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Building project

Build the production output before uploading: 
npm run build
This will generate the next bundle for production. Generating the .next folder.

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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.
Make sure to not include the cache folder from .next.
What port should I use for my server?
You should use port 80 for your server. Port 80 is the default port for HTTP traffic, which is handled by Square Cloud to route it to 443, HTTPS, for a secure connection.
Make sure to configure it before compressing and uploading your project.

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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.

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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 information about Next.js and its tools, visit the official Next.js documentation. There, you will find detailed guides, tutorials, and API documentation to help you make the most of Next.js.

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CI/CD

We have a GitHub Action that makes easier to update your project. You can see more here
You can make a workflow like this: 
name: "Deploy Nextjs app"
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - "v*"
jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 22

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Build website
        run: npm run build && chmod -R 777 .next next.config.ts package.json

      - name: Add website to zip
        run: zip -r project.zip package.json .next next.config.ts public -x ".next/cache/*"

      - name: Deploy on Square Cloud
        uses: squarecloudofc/github-action@v2
        with:
          command: commit --file project.zip ${{ secrets.SQUARECLOUD_APP_ID }} 
          token: '${{ secrets.SQUARE_CLOUD_TOKEN }}'

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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 https://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.

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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.

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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.