# Quickstart: deploy a GitHub repo to a VPS in 5 steps

Deploy a GitHub repo to a fresh Ubuntu VPS in five steps: sign in, add the server with one command, add the repo, review the plan, and deploy it live.

Sign in with GitHub, run the Add server command on a fresh Ubuntu LTS server, pick your repository, check the plan ox detected, and press Deploy. ox builds the app on your server and starts it as a systemd service behind Caddy. Traffic moves to it once its health check passes. A simple repo needs no config file.

To try ox before you deploy your own app, fork one of the [example projects](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/examples).

The five steps, each with what to press or read in the dashboard: sign in with GitHub, add a server by running the command it shows as root, make a project from the repository, check what ox will run, and deploy. Beside each is the command that does the same from a terminal.

## Before you start

You need these. ox installs everything else.

- A GitHub account and a repository with an app in it.
- A fresh Ubuntu LTS server with at least 1 GB of memory, 10 GB of free disk, ports 80 and 443 free, and IPv4 internet access.
- Root login to that server over SSH, with your own key or the root password. ox turns password login off, so if the server has no key of yours, Add a server can put your GitHub SSH keys on it.

## 1. Sign in with GitHub

Open [the sign-in page](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/login) and press **Continue with GitHub**. ox asks GitHub only for what it needs to read your repositories and get push events.

## 2. Add a server

In the dashboard, press **Add a server**. Three short steps follow: what the server needs, how you will log in once ox turns password login off (your SSH keys from GitHub, or the key the server already has), and **Get my command**, one command with a fresh token in it. Run it on the server as root. The page shows when the server connects.

On the server, as root:

```sh
curl -fsSL https://deploywithox.com/install/<token> | sudo bash
```

The script installs the ox agent and Caddy. When it finishes, the server shows up in the dashboard. The token in the command works once and expires, so copy a new command from the dashboard for each server.

## 3. Add the repository as a project

Press **New project**, pick the server, pick the repository, and press **Continue**.

You can also do this from a terminal. Install the ox CLI and sign in once. The steps below show the command for each button.

The same from a terminal:

```sh
curl -fsSL https://deploywithox.com/install.sh | sh
ox login
ox new <owner/repo> --server <server>
```

## 4. Review the plan

The **What ox will run** card shows the start command, build steps, services and variables ox detected from the repo. Fill in what it still needs, such as a `SECRET_KEY`. [Variables](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/operate/variables#set) explains how to set a secret.

If detection got something wrong, add an [ox.toml](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/config) to the repo for just that part. The [framework guides](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/guides) show a complete one for Django, Next.js, FastAPI, Node, Laravel, Rails and static sites.

Check the repo before the first deploy:

```sh
ox check                     # offline: validate ox.toml, show the plan and missing variables
ox review <project>          # what the first deploy still needs
```

## 5. Deploy and follow the log

Press **Deploy**, or run the command below. The log streams while ox builds, migrates and starts the new release. Traffic switches once the health check passes.

Deploy from a terminal:

```sh
ox deploy <project> --wait   # stream the run, exit with its result
ox logs <project> --follow   # the app's logs
```

If the run fails, the log names the failed step and the fix, and nothing changes for your visitors. [Troubleshooting](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/troubleshooting) covers the common failures.

## Next steps after your first deploy

- [Add a custom domain with HTTPS](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/operate/domains): create one A record and Caddy gets the certificate.
- [Read your app's logs](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/operate/logs) live, or search them.
- [Roll back a deploy](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/operate/rollback) that went wrong, without a rebuild.
- [See your daily backups](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/operate/backups) and add an S3 bucket.
- [Use the CLI](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/cli) for everything the dashboard does.
- [See what ox locked down](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/security) on your server, and check it yourself.

The [Operate](https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/operate) section covers the rest of running your app.

Last updated 2026-10-08. The page as HTML: https://console.t12.sorv.dev/docs/quickstart