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Introduction

To develop and host a Nuxt 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.

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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, or on the static runtime for a generated site. Tested with Nuxt 4 on Node.js 24 in September 2026.

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Create the project

You need Node.js 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, which replaces nuxi init:
The initializer asks for a template and the package manager, then installs the dependencies. Enter the project folder and start the development server:
The development server listens on http://localhost:3000. Edit app/app.vue to change the home page, or create app/pages/index.vue to use file-based routing.

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Build for production

Nuxt builds a standalone Node.js server with Nitro into the .output folder. Its entry file is .output/server/index.mjs, and .output/server carries its own dependencies.

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Port and host

Nothing to change in Nuxt: the Nitro server reads the PORT and HOST environment variables, which Square Cloud sets to 80 and 0.0.0.0.

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Configure Square Cloud

Create a squarecloud.app file at the root of your project and point MAIN to the Nitro server:
squarecloud.app
Square Cloud starts it with node .output/server/index.mjs. In the dashboard upload, set the same main file.

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What goes in the ZIP

  • .output/, the production build.
  • package.json, nuxt.config.ts and your source folders (app/, public/ and the others your project has): on the first start, Square Cloud runs npm install, and the postinstall script of Nuxt projects (nuxt prepare) needs them.
  • squarecloud.app.
Leave out node_modules and .nuxt: they are regenerated on the server.

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Static generation instead of a server

If every page can be generated at build time, run npm run generate instead of npm run build. Nuxt writes a static site to .output/public, which the static runtime serves without a Node.js process: The static runtime serves the files of your build with a web server managed by Square Cloud. No Node.js process runs, so it is the lightest way to host a site without server-side code.
1

Build the site

Run npm run build. The output goes to the .output/public folder.
2

Keep client-side routes working

If your app changes pages in the browser without a reload (client-side routing), rename .output/public/index.html to vite.html. The static runtime answers every path that is not a file with vite.html, so refreshing a route such as /about still loads your app. A site with one HTML file per page keeps index.html: unknown paths then return your 404.html. See how the static runtime serves files.
3

Add the configuration file

Create a squarecloud.app file inside .output/public. A MAIN that points to an HTML file selects the static runtime:
squarecloud.app
Use MAIN=index.html if you kept index.html. 512 MB is the minimum memory for a website. When you upload through the dashboard, it asks for these values and writes the file for you.
4

Zip the build output

Zip the contents of .output/public, not the folder itself, so that squarecloud.app sits at the root of the ZIP. With the CLI, run squarecloud upload from inside .output/public.
Everything in the ZIP is public on your site. Upload only the build output, never your source code or .env files.
Most build tools empty .output/public on every build. Keep a copy of squarecloud.app in the folder that your framework copies unchanged into the build (public/ in Vite-based projects), or repeat the last three steps after each build.
nuxt generate prerenders one HTML file per page and a 404.html, so keep index.html (no vite.html rename).

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Deploy and verify

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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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Common errors

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

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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.

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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…

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.

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Cannot find module .output/server/index.mjs

The build is missing from the ZIP. Run npm run build and check that the .output folder is at the root of the ZIP, next to squarecloud.app.

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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.
For more about Nuxt, see the official Nuxt documentation.

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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.