Files Automatically Removed During Virtus Cloud Deployment

When you upload your project to Virtus Cloud, the platform automatically removes a set of well-known files and directories before your application starts. These items are typically generated by local development tools, package managers, version control systems, or IDE configurations — none of which belong in a production container. Removing them reduces your deployment package size, speeds up the install process, and ensures your application runs from a clean, reproducible state every time you deploy. Understanding which files are removed helps you structure your project correctly and avoid confusion when files you see locally don’t appear in the file manager.

Why Virtus Cloud Removes These Files

Production environments don’t need local tooling artifacts. Files like node_modules are rebuilt from package.json during deployment, so shipping them wastes bandwidth and storage. Files like .git expose your repository history to anyone with container access and are irrelevant at runtime. Files like .replit and replit.nix are specific to the Replit development environment and have no meaning on Virtus Cloud infrastructure. By stripping these files automatically, Virtus Cloud ensures that every deployment starts from the same clean baseline regardless of which editor, OS, or development platform you used to write your code.

Files Removed During Deployment

The following files and directories are automatically deleted when you deploy an application to Virtus Cloud:

Package manager and dependency artifacts

These are regenerated from your dependency manifest during deployment, so uploading them would overwrite the correctly compiled versions anyway.

File / Directory	Reason Removed
`node_modules`	Rebuilt from `package.json` during install
`package-lock.json`	Regenerated by npm during install
`yarn.lock`	Regenerated by Yarn during install
`Cargo.lock`	Regenerated by Cargo (Rust) during build
`target`	Rust build output directory
`.venv`	Python virtual environment; rebuilt from `requirements.txt`
`.npm`	npm cache directory
`__pycache__`	Python bytecode cache; regenerated at runtime
`pycache`	Alternate Python bytecode cache path

Version control and repository metadata

Version control data is not needed at runtime and can expose sensitive commit history or secrets stored in tracked files.

File / Directory	Reason Removed
`.git`	Git repository history and config
`.husky`	Git hook scripts (development only)

IDE and editor configuration

Editor settings are personal to your local environment and have no effect — or adverse effects — inside a production container.

File / Directory	Reason Removed
`.vscode`	Visual Studio Code workspace settings
`.breakpoints`	Debugger breakpoints from local IDE

Replit-specific files

These files are generated by the Replit development environment and are meaningless outside of it.

File / Directory	Reason Removed
`.replit`	Replit project configuration
`replit.nix`	Replit Nix package definition
`replit_zip_error_log.txt`	Replit internal error log
`.upm`	Replit Universal Package Manager data

Local configuration and cache directories

These directories hold machine-specific configuration or cached data that should never be used inside a shared container.

File / Directory	Reason Removed
`.cache`	Generic local cache directory
`.config`	User-level application config
`.local`	User local data directory
`.pki`	Local PKI/certificate storage
`.npm`	npm’s local cache

Build output and framework caches

Framework build outputs are regenerated during deployment. Uploading stale build caches can cause your application to run outdated code.

File / Directory	Reason Removed
`.next`	Next.js build output
`.logs`	Locally generated log files

Other removed items

File / Directory	Reason Removed
`.composer`	PHP Composer cache
`.dockerenv`	Docker environment marker file
`.npmrc`	npm registry configuration (may contain auth tokens)

Complete Reference List

For quick reference, here is the full list of removed paths in alphabetical order:

.breakpoints
.cache
.composer
.config
.dockerenv
.git
.husky
.local
.logs
.next
.npm
.npmrc
.pki
.replit
.upm
.venv
.vscode
__pycache__
Cargo.lock
node_modules
package-lock.json
pycache
replit.nix
replit_zip_error_log.txt
target
yarn.lock

What You Should Do

Keep your dependency manifests up to date

Make sure package.json (Node.js) or requirements.txt (Python) lists all the packages your application needs. Virtus Cloud reinstalls dependencies from these files on every deployment.

Do not commit secrets inside removed directories

Files like .npmrc can contain authentication tokens. Because Virtus Cloud removes this file during deployment, any registry credentials stored there won’t be available to your application. Use environment variables in the dashboard to pass sensitive values instead.

Don't rely on local build outputs

Don’t upload pre-built .next directories or compiled target binaries. The platform’s build step regenerates these correctly for the production environment.

If a file you need at runtime is being removed unexpectedly, check whether its name matches one of the patterns above. Rename it or restructure your project to avoid the conflict. If you believe a file is being removed in error, contact the support team.

​Why Virtus Cloud Removes These Files

​Files Removed During Deployment

​Complete Reference List

​What You Should Do

Why Virtus Cloud Removes These Files

Files Removed During Deployment

Complete Reference List

What You Should Do