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Deploy a public Docker image

Run any public Docker image on DployHub, such as nginx:1.27-alpine or a ghcr.io image, with HTTPS, staging, logs and rollback included out of the box.

Updated 3 min read

If you already build container images in your own pipeline, you can skip our build step entirely. Give DployHub a public image name with a tag and we pull it, run it and put it behind HTTPS on its own address, with staging, logs, metrics and rollback just like any other app.

Create an app from an image

  1. 1

    Open New app

    Go to Apps, then New app (/portal/apps/new).

  2. 2

    Choose Docker image

    Enter the full image name with a tag, for example nginx:1.27-alpine or ghcr.io/org/app:1.4.0.

  3. 3

    Set the port

    Enter the port the image listens on. For the official nginx image that is 80. Set the health check path if / is not a good page to check.

  4. 4

    Name, size and create

    Name the app, choose resources for live and create it. We pull the image and the first deploy goes live automatically.

Use explicit tags

Always deploy a specific version tag such as 1.4.0 rather than latest. A fixed tag makes it obvious which version is running and keeps rollbacks meaningful. A typical CI step builds and pushes a new tag for each release:

bash
docker build -t ghcr.io/acme/shop:1.4.0 .
docker push ghcr.io/acme/shop:1.4.0

Make the image work on DployHub

  • Listen on 0.0.0.0, not 127.0.0.1. We also set the PORT environment variable, which your app can read.
  • Answer HTTP with a status below 500 on the health check path within 90 seconds of starting.
  • Write anything you need to keep, such as uploads or SQLite files, under /data. Everything else in the container is reset on every deploy or restart.
  • Print logs to stdout and stderr so they show up in the Logs tab.

Deploying new versions

Image apps have no webhook, so press Deploy when you want to pull again. Each deploy goes to staging first; press Go live to promote the same image to live. Rolling back reuses an image we already keep for the app, and we keep the last 5 built images per app, so a rollback takes seconds.

Common problems

  • Pull fails: check the name and tag, and that the image is public.
  • Deploy says the app didn't answer on the port: the port setting does not match the image. See Port and health checks.
  • Exit code 137: the container ran out of memory. Increase memory in Settings, then read App crashed: out of memory.

If the logs still leave you guessing, raise a ticket with the app and deployment attached.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use an image from a private registry?

No. The image must be public because we pull it without credentials.

Which registries work?

Any registry that serves public images, including Docker Hub and ghcr.io, as long as the full name and tag are given.

Does pushing a new tag deploy automatically?

No. Docker image apps are deployed manually with the Deploy button.

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