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This guide is for contributors and developers who want to run DeployStack locally for development purposes. If you want to deploy DeployStack for production use, see our Self-Hosted Documentation.
For production deployments, use our Docker Compose setup instead.

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Prerequisites

# Before you can install and use DeployStack locally, make sure you have:
# - Git: Version control system
# - Node.js v18+: JavaScript runtime (v18 or higher required)
# - npm v8+: Package manager (comes with Node.js)
# - Docker: For running databases (optional but recommended)

# Verify Installation
git --version
node --version  # Should be v18 or higher
npm --version   # Should be v8 or higher
docker --version
Windows (WSL) Users: After installing Docker, you may need to restart your WSL session or run newgrp docker to use Docker without sudo.

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Step 1: Clone the Repository

# If you haven't set up SSH keys, learn how at:
# https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/about-ssh

git clone git@github.com:deploystackio/deploystack.git
cd deploystack

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Step 2: Install Dependencies

Install all project dependencies using npm workspaces: 
# Install dependencies for all services
npm install
DeployStack uses npm workspaces to manage dependencies across frontend and backend services. The root npm install will install dependencies for all services.

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Step 3: Set Up Environment Variables

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Backend Environment

Create the backend environment file: 
# Create backend .env file
cp services/backend/.env.example services/backend/.env
Edit services/backend/.env with your configuration: 
# Required: Generate a secure encryption secret
DEPLOYSTACK_ENCRYPTION_SECRET=your-32-character-secret-here

# Frontend URL (for CORS and redirects)
DEPLOYSTACK_FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173

# Development settings
NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000
LOG_LEVEL=debug

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Frontend Environment

Create the frontend environment file: 
# Create frontend .env file
cp services/frontend/.env.example services/frontend/.env
Edit services/frontend/.env with your configuration: 
# Backend API URL
VITE_DEPLOYSTACK_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:3000

# App configuration
VITE_APP_TITLE=DeployStack (Dev)

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Generate Encryption Secret

# Using OpenSSL (recommended)
openssl rand -hex 16

# Alternative using Node.js
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(16).toString('hex'))"

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Step 4: Set Up Database (Optional)

DeployStack uses SQLite by default for development, but you can optionally set up PostgreSQL: 
No additional setup required. DeployStack will create a SQLite database automatically in services/backend/persistent_data/.

The database file will be created on first run:
services/backend/persistent_data/database/deploystack.db

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Step 5: Running the Development Servers

DeployStack requires both frontend and backend services to run simultaneously. Run each service in its own terminal for better log visibility: 
# Terminal 1: Start backend server
npm run dev:backend

# Terminal 2: Start frontend server (in a new terminal)
npm run dev:frontend

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Option 2: Background Processes

Run both services from a single terminal: 
# Start backend in background
npm run dev:backend &

# Start frontend
npm run dev:frontend

# To stop background processes later:
# pkill -f "npm run dev:backend"

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Development URLs

Once both services are running:

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Step 6: Verify Installation

1

Check Service Status

Verify both services are running:
# Check if ports are listening
curl http://localhost:3000/health  # Backend health check
curl http://localhost:5173         # Frontend dev server
2

Access the Application

Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser. You should see the DeployStack interface.
3

Create First User

Follow the on-screen setup wizard to create your first admin user and configure basic settings.

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Development Workflow

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Hot Reloading

Both services support hot reloading:
  • Frontend: Vite automatically reloads on file changes
  • Backend: Nodemon restarts the server on file changes

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Available Scripts

From the project root: 
# Development
npm run dev:frontend          # Start frontend dev server
npm run dev:backend           # Start backend dev server

# Building
npm run build:frontend        # Build frontend for production
npm run build:backend         # Build backend TypeScript

# Linting
npm run lint:frontend         # Lint frontend code
npm run lint:backend          # Lint backend code
npm run lint:md               # Lint markdown files

# Testing
npm run test:backend:unit     # Run backend unit tests
npm run test:backend:e2e      # Run backend e2e tests
npm run test:backend:unit:coverage  # Run tests with coverage

# Releases
npm run release:frontend      # Create frontend release
npm run release:backend       # Create backend release

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Project Structure

deploystack/
├── services/
│   ├── frontend/           # Vue.js frontend application
│   │   ├── src/           # Source code
│   │   ├── public/        # Static assets
│   │   ├── package.json   # Frontend dependencies
│   │   └── vite.config.ts # Vite configuration
│   ├── backend/           # Fastify backend API
│   │   ├── src/          # Source code
│   │   ├── tests/        # Test files
│   │   ├── persistent_data/ # SQLite database and uploads
│   │   ├── package.json  # Backend dependencies
│   │   └── tsconfig.json # TypeScript configuration
│   └── shared/           # Shared utilities and types
├── scripts/              # Build and deployment scripts
├── package.json          # Root package.json (workspaces)
└── docker-compose.yml    # Production deployment

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

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Port Already in Use

# Check what's using the port
lsof -i :3000  # Backend port
lsof -i :5173  # Frontend port

# Kill process using the port
kill -9 <PID>

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Node Version Issues

# Check Node version
node --version

# If using nvm, switch to correct version
nvm install 18
nvm use 18

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Permission Errors

# Fix npm permissions
sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm

# Fix project permissions
sudo chown -R $(whoami) .

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Database Connection Issues

# Check if database directory exists
ls -la services/backend/persistent_data/

# Create directory if missing
mkdir -p services/backend/persistent_data/database

# Check database file permissions
ls -la services/backend/persistent_data/database/

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Environment Variable Issues

# Verify environment files exist
ls -la services/backend/.env
ls -la services/frontend/.env

# Check if encryption secret is set
grep DEPLOYSTACK_ENCRYPTION_SECRET services/backend/.env

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Getting Help

If you encounter issues not covered here:
  1. Check Logs: Look at the console output from both frontend and backend servers
  2. Search Issues: Look for similar problems in GitHub Issues
  3. Community Support: Ask for help in our Discord
  4. Create Issue: Report bugs with detailed logs and system information

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Contributing

Once you have DeployStack running locally:
  1. Read Contributing Guidelines: Check CONTRIBUTING.md
  2. Create Feature Branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
  3. Make Changes: Implement your feature or bug fix
  4. Test Changes: Run tests and verify functionality
  5. Submit Pull Request: Create a PR with detailed description

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Next Steps

  • Explore the Codebase: Familiarize yourself with the project structure
  • Read API Documentation: Check the backend API docs at http://localhost:3000/documentation
  • Join Development Discussions: Participate in our Discord development channels
  • Check Open Issues: Find issues to work on in our GitHub repository
Ready to contribute? Check our Contributing Guidelines to get started!