Skip to main content
Virtus Cloud is designed to get your application live as fast as possible. This guide walks you through every step — from creating your account to seeing your app running in production — using either the CLI or the web dashboard. By the end, you will have a deployed application and a clear understanding of the core workflow.

​
Before you begin

You need a Virtus Cloud account and an active plan before you can deploy.

Sign Up

New to Virtus Cloud? Create a free account to get started.

Log In

Already have an account? Log in and select a plan that fits your needs.
You need an active paid plan to deploy applications. View available plans at virtuscloud.app/plans.

​
Deployment steps

1

Install the Virtus Cloud CLI

The CLI lets you deploy and manage your applications directly from your terminal. Install it with the command for your operating system.
curl -fsSL https://cli.virtuscloud.app/install | bash
If you already have the CLI installed, update it before deploying to make sure you have the latest features and bug fixes.
Windows
virtuscloud update
macOS, Linux, and WSL
curl -fsSL https://cli.virtuscloud.app/install | bash
2

Authenticate the CLI

Retrieve your API key from your account settings by clicking Request API Key, then run:
virtuscloud login
The CLI will prompt you to paste your key. Once authenticated, you can run all deployment commands.
3

Prepare your project files

Make sure your project has the required files for its language runtime. At a minimum, every project needs:
  • Your main application file (e.g., index.js, main.py, main.go)
  • A dependency manifest (e.g., package.json, requirements.txt, Cargo.toml)
  • A virtuscloud.app configuration file at the root of your project
See the language-specific guides for the exact file requirements for your stack.
Do not include node_modules, .venv, or other local dependency folders in your upload. Virtus Cloud installs dependencies from your manifest automatically, keeping your upload small and your build reproducible.
4

Create your virtuscloud.app config file

Create a file named virtuscloud.app (or virtuscloud.config on macOS) at the root of your project. The file uses a simple KEY=VALUE format.
virtuscloud.app
MAIN=index.js
MEMORY=256
VERSION=recommended
DISPLAY_NAME=My Bot
DESCRIPTION=A bot that handles daily tasks automatically.
AUTORESTART=true
The SUBDOMAIN field is only required for web applications. Setting SUBDOMAIN=myapp makes your site available at myapp.virtusapp.cloud.
See the full Config File Reference for every available parameter.
5

Upload your project

Package your project as a .zip file and upload it using your preferred method.
From your project directory, run:
virtuscloud upload
The CLI compresses your project automatically and uploads it. You can also create a ZIP manually and pass its path:
virtuscloud upload my-project.zip

zip -r my-project.zip .

​
What happens after upload

Once your ZIP is uploaded, Virtus Cloud automatically:
  1. Detects your runtime from the config file and project files
  2. Installs your dependencies (e.g., runs npm install, pip install, go mod tidy)
  3. Executes your startup command (either from START or the platform default)
  4. Begins streaming logs to your dashboard
You can monitor your application’s live logs and status at any time from the Virtus Cloud Dashboard.

​
Next steps

Config File Reference

Learn every configuration parameter available in virtuscloud.app.

Node.js Guide

Deploy a JavaScript or TypeScript application step by step.

Python Guide

Deploy a Python application or bot with requirements.txt or pyproject.toml.

CLI Reference

Explore every command available in the Virtus Cloud CLI.