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Introduction

To develop and host a React Router application (formerly Remix) 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. Tested with React Router 8 on Node.js 24 in September 2026.
Remix merged into React Router: React Router framework mode, since v7, is the successor of Remix v2. New projects use create-react-router instead of create-remix. If you still have a Remix v2 project, see Existing Remix v2 projects.

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Create the project

You need Node.js 22.22 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:
The initializer creates the project and offers to install its dependencies. Enter the project folder and start the development server:
The development server usually listens on http://localhost:5173/. Routes are declared in app/routes.ts, and the starter maps the home page to app/routes/home.tsx. Replace the content of that file with a simple example:
app/routes/home.tsx

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Build for production

This creates the build/ folder: build/client holds the static assets and build/server holds the server code. The build tools (@react-router/dev and Vite) are devDependencies, which Square Cloud does not install, so run the build on your machine.

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Port and host

Nothing to change: the starter includes @react-router/serve, a production Node.js server, and a start script that runs it. react-router-serve reads the PORT and HOST environment variables, which Square Cloud sets to 80 and 0.0.0.0.
package.json

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Configure Square Cloud

Create a squarecloud.app file at the root of your project:
squarecloud.app
RUNTIME=nodejs selects the Node.js runtime without requiring a MAIN file, and START replaces the default start command. In the dashboard upload, set the same start command.

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What goes in the ZIP

  • build/, the production build.
  • package.json.
  • squarecloud.app.
Leave out node_modules: Square Cloud installs your dependencies, including @react-router/serve, on the first start.

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Existing Remix v2 projects

Remix v2 projects deploy the same way: run npm run build locally and keep START=npm run start, where the start script runs @remix-run/serve, which also reads PORT and HOST:
Projects still on the classic Remix compiler (without Vite) use remix-serve ./build/index.js instead. To move to React Router, follow the official upgrade guide.

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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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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 React Router, see the official React Router 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.