Next.js Hosting: Deploy a Next.js App

Introduction

To develop and host a Next.js application 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.

Prerequisites

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

This guide runs on the Node.js runtime. Tested with Next.js 16 on Node.js 24 in September 2026.

Create the project

You need Node.js 20.9 or later and npm on your machine. If you don’t have them, download them from the official Node.js website. Create a project with the official initializer:

npx create-next-app@latest my-app

The initializer asks about TypeScript, the linter, Tailwind CSS and the App Router, then installs the dependencies. Start the development server with npm run dev and edit app/page.tsx (or app/page.js) to change the home page.

Build for production

npm run build

next build writes the production build to the .next folder. Run it on your machine: TypeScript, ESLint and Tailwind CSS are devDependencies, which Square Cloud does not install.

Port and host

Nothing to change in Next.js: next start reads the PORT environment variable, which Square Cloud sets to 80, and listens on all network interfaces. Keep the default start script in your package.json:

package.json

"scripts": {
  "start": "next start"
}

Configure Square Cloud

Create a squarecloud.app file at the root of your project:

squarecloud.app

RUNTIME=nodejs
START=npm run start
MEMORY=1024
VERSION=recommended
DISPLAY_NAME=My Next.js app
SUBDOMAIN=my-next-app

RUNTIME=nodejs selects the Node.js runtime without a MAIN file, and START runs next start. In the dashboard upload, set the same start command.

What goes in the ZIP

.next/, the production build (Square Cloud removes .next/cache on upload, so you can leave it out).
public/, package.json and your next.config.* file.
squarecloud.app.
Your source folders (app/ or pages/) are not read by next start, but uploading them does no harm.

Leave out node_modules: Square Cloud installs your dependencies on the first start.

Deploy and verify

Via dashboard

Access the Upload Page

Access the upload page and upload your project zip file.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Install the CLI

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

curl -fsSL https://cli.squarecloud.app/install | bash

npm install -g @squarecloud/cli@latest

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.

squarecloud auth login

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:

squarecloud upload

To upload a zip you created yourself, pass it with --file:

squarecloud upload --file <path/to/zip>

Confirm Your App Is Live

Your first deploy usually takes less than a minute. Check your application status and logs directly from the terminal:

squarecloud app status
squarecloud app logs

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.

Common errors

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 default URL comes from the SUBDOMAIN field in the configuration file. To connect your domain, follow how to set up your own domain.

Minimum RAM requirements

Minimum: 512MB RAM for websites and APIs, enough for a static build on the static runtime. For apps that render pages on a server (Next.js, Nuxt, Angular SSR and similar), we recommend at least 1GB RAM. For larger applications, allocate more RAM to prevent the application from running out of memory and crashing.

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.

Site took too long to respond…

Your server must listen on port 80 and host 0.0.0.0. Square Cloud sets the PORT (80) and HOST (0.0.0.0) environment variables in your application: read them in your code instead of hardcoding other values. A server that listens only on localhost or 127.0.0.1 never receives requests.

Could not find a production build

next start did not find the .next folder. Run npm run build before zipping and check that .next is in the ZIP.

Deploy on every push with GitHub Actions

The Square Cloud GitHub Action installs the CLI on the runner, so a workflow can build your app and send it to Square Cloud. Save an API key as the repository secret SQUARECLOUD_API_KEY and your application ID as the repository variable SQUARECLOUD_APP_ID, then add .github/workflows/deploy.yml:

.github/workflows/deploy.yml

name: Deploy Next.js app

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v7

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v7
        with:
          node-version: 24

      - uses: squarecloudofc/github-action@v2
        with:
          token: ${{ secrets.SQUARECLOUD_API_KEY }}
          install-only: true

      - run: npm ci && npm run build

      - run: squarecloud commit ${{ vars.SQUARECLOUD_APP_ID }} --restart

squarecloud commit sends the folder, including the fresh .next build, to your application, and --restart restarts it so the new build goes live. Add .next/cache to a squarecloud.ignore file to keep the upload small. For more options, see deploying with GitHub Actions.

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.

For more about Next.js, see the official Next.js documentation.

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.

Bots

Websites

APIs and backends

Databases

Self-hosted apps

Guides

Migration guides

Next.js Hosting: Deploy a Next.js App

Introduction

Prerequisites

Create the project

Build for production

Port and host

Configure Square Cloud

What goes in the ZIP

Deploy and verify

Via dashboard

Via CLI

Configuration file guide

Common errors

Custom domain

Minimum RAM requirements

Could not find this site.

Site took too long to respond…

Could not find a production build

Deploy on every push with GitHub Actions

Next steps

Environment variables

Custom domain

Troubleshooting

Contact us

​Introduction

​Prerequisites

​Create the project

​Build for production

​Port and host

​Configure Square Cloud

​What goes in the ZIP

​Deploy and verify

​Via dashboard

​Via CLI

Configuration file guide

​Common errors

​Custom domain

​Minimum RAM requirements

​Could not find this site.

​Site took too long to respond…

​Could not find a production build

​Deploy on every push with GitHub Actions

​Next steps

Environment variables

Custom domain

Troubleshooting

​Contact us

Introduction

Prerequisites

Create the project

Build for production

Port and host

Configure Square Cloud

What goes in the ZIP

Deploy and verify

Via dashboard

Via CLI

Common errors

Custom domain

Minimum RAM requirements

Could not find this site.

Site took too long to respond…

Could not find a production build

Deploy on every push with GitHub Actions

Next steps

Contact us