How to Deploy Replit Projects on Vultr Using Coolify

Replit is an AI-driven web-based tool that uses natural-language prompts to automate the creation of full-stack applications, feature implementation, and environment configuration. Coolify is an open-source platform-as-a-service that automates infrastructure provisioning and Docker orchestration for self-hosted environments.

This guide explains how to create an application using Replit, export the source code to GitHub, and deploy it onto a Vultr server using Coolify.

Prerequisites

• Have a Replit account.
• Have a GitHub account.
• Deploy a new instance with the Vultr Marketplace Application for Coolify.
• Set up a domain name, such as app.example.com, and point it to your server's public IP address using an A record.

Create an Application Using AI

1. Navigate to Replit in a web browser and log in to your account.
2. Describe the application in detail in the prompt field, including an instruction for the agent to make it Coolify compatible. Specify all necessary features, the preferred technology stack, and request either a Dockerfile or, for multi-service applications, a docker-compose.yaml file.
3. Click Start to create the application using AI.
4. Verify the application functionality within the internal Preview panel.
5. Click the + icon next to the active workspace tabs.
6. Search for the Git tool and select it in the menu.
7. Click Settings.
8. Press Sign In next to GitHub.
9. Click Continue to GitHub.
10. Review the Authorization options, and click Authorize replit-integrations.
11. Click Create Remote.
12. Specify a repository name and confirm the action to create a new repository for your application’s source code.
13. Click Create Repository on GitHub.
14. Return to the Git section. A Pass GitHub Credentials dialog appears.
15. Click Confirm for this session to authorize Replit to use your GitHub credentials.
16. Click Push branch as origin/main to push the source code.
17. Your application’s source code is now available in the repository.

Access the Coolify Dashboard

The Vultr Marketplace app provides the Coolify dashboard address in the instance management page. Open it to complete the initial account setup.

1. Access your Vultr instance’s Overview page.
2. In the App Instructions section, find the Coolify dashboard address and open it in a new tab.
3. Set your administrator account credentials in the initial configuration wizard.

Configure a Dashboard Domain

Assigning a domain to your Coolify instance gives GitHub a stable, publicly reachable webhook endpoint and enables HTTPS for the dashboard. Coolify uses this domain when registering the GitHub App.

1. At your DNS registrar, create an A record pointing a subdomain to your server’s public IP address, for example coolify.example.com.
2. Open the Coolify dashboard at http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8000.
3. Click Settings in the left sidebar.
4. Under General, enter your fully-qualified domain with the https:// scheme in the URL field, for example https://coolify.example.com.
5. Click Save.
6. Click Servers in the left sidebar, then click localhost.
7. Open the Proxy tab and click Start to deploy the Traefik reverse proxy. Traefik provisions the Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for your domain.
8. Open https://coolify.example.com in a new tab to confirm the dashboard loads over HTTPS.

Connect GitHub Repository

Authorize Coolify to retrieve your application’s source code from the GitHub repository.

1. Click Sources in the left sidebar of the Coolify dashboard.
2. Click Add.
3. In the New GitHub App dialog, optionally update the app name. Leave the Organization field empty to use your personal GitHub account.
4. Click Continue.
5. On the GitHub App configuration page, open the Webhook Endpoint dropdown. It lists your server IP, your configured domain, and localhost. Select your domain so GitHub can reach the endpoint over HTTPS.
6. Click Register Now. Coolify redirects you to GitHub.
7. Click Create GitHub App on GitHub to register the app. GitHub redirects you back to Coolify.
8. On the GitHub App page in Coolify, click Install Repositories on GitHub. GitHub opens the app installation page.
9. Select All repositories or Only select repositories, then click Install.

Create a New Project

Projects allow you to isolate Coolify applications into separate environments.

1. Click Projects in the left sidebar.
2. Click Add.
3. Type a name for your project.
4. Click Continue to create your project.

Configure the Application

Link your GitHub repository to a new Coolify resource and configure the build settings before triggering the first deployment.

1. Click Add Resource inside your project’s page.
2. Choose Private Repository (with GitHub App) or Public Repository, depending on your repository visibility.
3. Choose your GitHub app.
4. Select your application repository from the dropdown.
5. Set the branch to main.
6. Select Docker Compose or Dockerfile in the Build Pack dropdown depending on your project.
7. Click Continue. Coolify opens the application’s Configuration page.
8. In the Domains field, click Generate Domain to assign a temporary .sslip.io domain for testing.
9. Click Save.

Add a Database

Provision a managed database before deploying so the application can connect to it on startup.

1. Navigate back to your Coolify project page.
2. Click + New Resource.
3. Select Database and choose the database type that matches your application.
4. Enter a name for your database and click Create.
5. Click Start to deploy the database container.
6. Copy the internal connection URL from the database configuration page.

Configure Environment Variables

Set the database connection URL and any other required secrets before the first deploy.

1. Open your application’s configuration page and click Environment Variables in the left sidebar.
2. Click + Add.
3. Enter DATABASE_URL as the name and paste the internal connection URL as the value.
4. Add any other variables your application requires.
5. Click Save.

Start the Deployment

Trigger the build and verify the application starts correctly using the generated test domain.

1. Click Deploy in the top right corner of the application’s configuration page.

2. Click Links in the top navigation bar.

3. Click the generated .sslip.io domain link and verify the application loads.

   If the deployment fails, click the latest running instance of deployment under the Deployment tab to view the full error output. Copy the error and share it with the Replit agent to diagnose and fix the issue. Once the code is updated, push the fix to trigger a new deployment cycle:

   1. Stage the updated files.

      CONSOLE

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      $ git add .

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   2. Commit the changes.

      CONSOLE

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      $ git commit -m "Fix deployment error"

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   3. Push the fix to the remote repository.

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      $ git push origin main

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   Coolify detects the push and redeploys automatically.

Configure Custom Domain with HTTPS

Replace the temporary test domain with your own domain. Coolify provisions a Let’s Encrypt certificate automatically when the domain uses the https:// scheme.

1. Open your application’s Configuration page.
2. In the Domains field, replace the .sslip.io address with your custom domain, for example https://app.example.com. Include the https:// prefix to trigger automatic Let’s Encrypt certificate provisioning.
3. Click Save, then Redeploy.
4. Once redeployed, open your custom domain and confirm the padlock icon is visible in the address bar.

Conclusion

You have successfully created an application using Replit, exported the generated source code to GitHub, and deployed it to a Vultr instance using Coolify. For more information, visit the official Coolify documentation.