🚀 DigitalOcean App Platform Dev Template

Your development container is running! Connect your application to get started.

Repository URL: not set Required

Repository Folder: not set (leave blank for root folder)

Branch: not set (leave blank for main branch)

Dev Start Command: not set Not Set

Workspace Path: /workspaces/app

Sync Interval: 60s

Dev Health Server: true

📋 Quick Start Guide

1 Bulk Configuration (Recommended)

The fastest way to configure your app is using the App Platform bulk editor with pre-configured .env.example files from app-examples folder:

Next.js apps: nextjs .env.example
Python FastAPI apps: python-fastapi .env.example
Go apps: go .env.example

How to use:

Open the .env.example file for your framework
Copy all contents
In App Platform UI → Settings → click "Bulk Editor"
Paste the contents and adjust GITHUB_REPO_URL to your repository

Advantage: Copy-paste all settings at once instead of adding them one by one.

Or set variables individually:

                    GITHUB_REPO_URL = https://github.com/your-username/your-repo.git

GITHUB_REPO_FOLDER = subfolder/path (leave blank for root folder)

GITHUB_BRANCH = main (leave blank for main branch)

2 Configure Your Startup Command

Both are needed: Set DEV_START_COMMAND and create a dev_startup.sh in your repository

DEV_START_COMMAND = bash dev_startup.sh

Why dev_startup.sh is better than a 1-liner DEV_START_COMMAND:

You control and version it in your repo (not locked in App Platform settings)
Easier to update without redeploying the container
Can include complex logic, error handling, and dependency management

Example dev_startup.sh for Next.js:

                    #!/bin/bash
cd /workspaces/app
npm install
npm run dev -- --hostname 0.0.0.0 --port 8080
                

See ready-made templates in hot-reload-template/examples, and ask your AI assistant to tailor a dev_startup.sh for your specific codebase.

3 Configure Build Arguments (Build-time)

Go to App Platform UI → Settings → Build Arguments and enable only what you need:

Note: These are BUILD_TIME scope arguments that determine which language runtimes are installed during container build.

                    INSTALL_NODE = true  # For Node.js/Next.js apps

INSTALL_PYTHON = true  # For Python/FastAPI apps

INSTALL_GOLANG = true  # For Go apps

INSTALL_RUST = false  # For Rust apps

4 Redeploy Your App

After setting environment variables, trigger a new deployment to apply changes.

🤖 Automate Setup with AI Assistants

Skip manual configuration! AI assistants can automate the entire deployment process:

Automatically create and configure your app on App Platform
Set all required environment variables and build arguments
Generate dev_startup.sh scripts tailored to your application
Monitor deployment and troubleshoot issues
Execute commands in your running container for debugging

Supported AI assistants: Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Codex, Antigravity, or any agent that can execute commands

Get started: See the agent.md playbook for detailed automation instructions.

📚 Example dev_startup.sh Scripts

Next.js / React

                    #!/bin/bash
cd /workspaces/app
npm install
npm run dev -- --hostname 0.0.0.0 --port 8080
                

Starting point only—use your AI assistant to generate a dev_startup.sh tailored to your project, or copy from the examples directory.

Python FastAPI

                    #!/bin/bash
cd /workspaces/app
uv sync --no-dev
uv run uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080 --reload
                

Adapt with your AI assistant or reuse the examples/dev_startup.sh.python template.

                    #!/bin/bash
cd /workspaces/app
go mod tidy
go run main.go
                

Have your AI assistant extend this for your modules, or copy from examples/dev_startup.sh.golang and adjust.

🔧 Important Notes

⚠️ Your app must listen on port 8080

Make sure your development server binds to 0.0.0.0:8080 (not localhost or 127.0.0.1).

🔄 Hot Reload is Automatic

Your repository syncs every 60 seconds (configurable via GITHUB_SYNC_INTERVAL environment variable, default is 30s). Use a dev server with hot reload (like npm run dev, uvicorn --reload, or air) to see changes without restarting.

🏥 Health Check

The built-in health server runs on port 9090 at /dev_health. Once your app has its own health endpoint, set ENABLE_DEV_HEALTH=false and point health checks to your app.