Deployment

Markup can be deployed as a standard Next.js application using platforms such as:

Vercel
Docker
VPS / Dedicated Servers
Railway
Coolify
Render

The application requires:

PostgreSQL database
Environment variables configured
Prisma migrations applied

Production Requirements

Before deployment, ensure you have:

Node.js 18+
PostgreSQL database
WorkOS application configured
Production environment variables configured
HTTPS enabled for authentication callbacks

Required Environment Variables

Example production configuration:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@host:5432/markup?sslmode=require

WORKOS_CLIENT_ID=client_xxxxx
WORKOS_API_KEY=sk_live_xxxxx
WORKOS_COOKIE_PASSWORD=secure_random_string

NEXT_PUBLIC_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI=https://yourdomain.com/api/auth/callback

NEXT_PUBLIC_DB_PROVIDER=postgres/convex

Build the Application

Install dependencies:

npm install

Generate the Prisma client:

npx prisma generate

Build the production application:

npm run build

Start the production server:

npm run start

Database Migrations

Run Prisma migrations before starting production deployments:

npx prisma migrate deploy

This applies all pending migrations safely in production.

Deploying to Vercel

1. Push Repository to GitHub

Ensure your repository is committed and pushed.

2. Import Project into Vercel

Open the Vercel dashboard
Import the GitHub repository
Select the project
Configure environment variables

3. Configure Environment Variables

Add all required variables from .env.local into:

Vercel Project Settings → Environment Variables

4. Configure PostgreSQL

You can use:

Neon
Supabase
Railway PostgreSQL
Vercel Postgres
Self-hosted PostgreSQL

Ensure SSL is enabled if required by the provider.

5. Deploy

Vercel automatically runs:

npm run build

After deployment, run migrations:

npx prisma migrate deploy

Deploying with Docker

Docker Compose

services:
  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: markup
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: markup_password
      POSTGRES_DB: markup
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U markup -d markup"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

  app:
    build:
      context: .
      dockerfile: Dockerfile
      args:
        NEXT_PUBLIC_DB_PROVIDER: postgres
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_healthy
    ports:
      - "3001:3000"
    environment:
      # Database — points to the postgres service above
      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://markup:markup_password@db:5432/markup

      # WorkOS auth — fill these in or use a .env file
      WORKOS_CLIENT_ID: ${WORKOS_CLIENT_ID}
      WORKOS_API_KEY: ${WORKOS_API_KEY}
      WORKOS_COOKIE_PASSWORD: ${WORKOS_COOKIE_PASSWORD}
      NEXT_PUBLIC_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI: ${NEXT_PUBLIC_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI}

      # App URL (used for CSP / redirect base)
      NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL: ${NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL:-http://localhost:3000}

      # Use Postgres instead of Convex for self-hosted deployments
      NEXT_PUBLIC_DB_PROVIDER: postgres

      NODE_ENV: production

volumes:
  postgres_data:

Dockerfile

FROM node:20-alpine AS base

# Install dependencies only when needed
FROM base AS deps
RUN apk add --no-cache libc6-compat openssl
WORKDIR /app

COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
RUN npm ci --ignore-scripts --legacy-peer-deps

# Rebuild the source code only when needed
FROM base AS builder
RUN apk add --no-cache openssl
WORKDIR /app

COPY --from=deps /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY . .

# Accept public env vars as build args so Next.js can bake them into the bundle
ARG NEXT_PUBLIC_DB_PROVIDER=postgres
ENV NEXT_PUBLIC_DB_PROVIDER=$NEXT_PUBLIC_DB_PROVIDER

# Generate Prisma client (dummy DATABASE_URL satisfies schema validation at build time)
RUN DATABASE_URL="postgresql://dummy:dummy@localhost:5432/dummy" node node_modules/prisma/build/index.js generate

# Build the Next.js app (no Convex deploy, just the Next build)
RUN npm run build:docker

# Production image
FROM base AS runner
RUN apk add --no-cache openssl
WORKDIR /app

ENV NODE_ENV=production

RUN addgroup --system --gid 1001 nodejs
RUN adduser --system --uid 1001 nextjs

COPY --from=builder /app/public ./public

# Leverage Next.js standalone output
COPY --from=builder --chown=nextjs:nodejs /app/.next/standalone ./
COPY --from=builder --chown=nextjs:nodejs /app/.next/static ./.next/static

# Copy Prisma schema and migrations so we can run migrations at startup
COPY --from=builder /app/prisma ./prisma
COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules/.prisma ./node_modules/.prisma
COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules/@prisma ./node_modules/@prisma
COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules/prisma ./node_modules/prisma

COPY docker-entrypoint.sh ./docker-entrypoint.sh
RUN chmod +x ./docker-entrypoint.sh

USER nextjs

EXPOSE 3000

ENV PORT=3000
ENV HOSTNAME="0.0.0.0"

ENTRYPOINT ["./docker-entrypoint.sh"]

Deploying on a VPS

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/pphilfre/markup.git
cd markup

Install Dependencies

npm install

Configure Environment Variables

Create:

.env.production

Add all required production variables.

Generate Prisma Client

npx prisma generate

Run Migrations

npx prisma migrate deploy

Build Application

npm run build

Start Server

npm run start

Reverse Proxy Example (Nginx)

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;

        proxy_http_version 1.1;

        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';

        proxy_set_header Host $host;

        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
}

Recommended Production Setup

Recommended stack:

Next.js application
PostgreSQL database
Nginx reverse proxy
HTTPS via Let’s Encrypt
PM2 or Docker for process management

PM2 Example

Install PM2:

npm install -g pm2

Start the application:

pm2 start npm --name markup -- run start

Save PM2 configuration:

pm2 save

Enable startup:

pm2 startup

Updating Production Deployments

Pull latest changes:

git pull

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run migrations:

npx prisma migrate deploy

Rebuild application:

npm run build

Restart application:

pm2 restart markup

Security Recommendations

Use HTTPS in production
Enable PostgreSQL SSL
Restrict database access
Never expose .env files publicly
Use strong secrets
Rotate API keys periodically
Enable automatic backups

Troubleshooting

Prisma Migration Failures

Check migration status:

npx prisma migrate status

Application Fails to Start

Verify:

Environment variables exist
Database is reachable
Prisma client is generated
Build completed successfully

WorkOS Authentication Errors

Ensure:

Redirect URI matches production domain
HTTPS is enabled
Callback URLs are configured in WorkOS

Deployment Checklist

Environment variables configured
PostgreSQL database running
Prisma migrations applied
HTTPS enabled
WorkOS redirect URI configured
Application successfully built
Backups configured
Monitoring/logging enabled

Getting started

Writing content

Deployment

Deployment

Production Requirements

Required Environment Variables

Build the Application

Database Migrations

Deploying to Vercel

1. Push Repository to GitHub

2. Import Project into Vercel

3. Configure Environment Variables

4. Configure PostgreSQL

5. Deploy

Deploying with Docker

Docker Compose

Dockerfile

Deploying on a VPS

Clone the Repository

Install Dependencies

Configure Environment Variables

Generate Prisma Client

Run Migrations

Build Application

Start Server

Reverse Proxy Example (Nginx)

Recommended Production Setup

PM2 Example

Updating Production Deployments

Security Recommendations

Troubleshooting

Prisma Migration Failures

Application Fails to Start

WorkOS Authentication Errors

Deployment Checklist

​Deployment

​Production Requirements

​Required Environment Variables

​Build the Application

​Database Migrations

​Deploying to Vercel

​1. Push Repository to GitHub

​2. Import Project into Vercel

​3. Configure Environment Variables

​4. Configure PostgreSQL

​5. Deploy

​Deploying with Docker

​Docker Compose

​Dockerfile

​Deploying on a VPS

​Clone the Repository

​Install Dependencies

​Configure Environment Variables

​Generate Prisma Client

​Run Migrations

​Build Application

​Start Server

​Reverse Proxy Example (Nginx)

​Recommended Production Setup

​PM2 Example

​Updating Production Deployments

​Security Recommendations

​Troubleshooting

​Prisma Migration Failures

​Application Fails to Start

​WorkOS Authentication Errors

​Deployment Checklist

Deployment

Production Requirements

Required Environment Variables

Build the Application

Database Migrations

Deploying to Vercel

1. Push Repository to GitHub

2. Import Project into Vercel

3. Configure Environment Variables

4. Configure PostgreSQL

5. Deploy

Deploying with Docker

Docker Compose

Dockerfile

Deploying on a VPS

Clone the Repository

Install Dependencies

Configure Environment Variables

Generate Prisma Client

Run Migrations

Build Application

Start Server

Reverse Proxy Example (Nginx)

Recommended Production Setup

PM2 Example

Updating Production Deployments

Security Recommendations

Troubleshooting

Prisma Migration Failures

Application Fails to Start

WorkOS Authentication Errors

Deployment Checklist