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A NestJS application runs on Sevalla as an application: Nixpacks installs the dependencies from your Git repository and runs nest build, and the web process starts the compiled JavaScript in dist/ on the port that Sevalla sets in the PORT environment variable.

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Before you begin

  • A Sevalla company with a payment method, and a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket account for the repository. See Git providers.
  • Node.js 24 or later on your computer.

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Create the project

Create a project with the Nest CLI:
The CLI creates a TypeScript project with a .gitignore and a Git repository. Its src/main.ts already starts the server on the port in PORT:
src/main.ts
app.listen() without a host listens on all network interfaces, which is what Sevalla needs.

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Prepare the project for Sevalla

Point the start script at the compiled build and pin the Node.js version:
Use npm run start:dev for local development from now on. To check the production build locally, run npm run build && npm start and open http://localhost:3000. Then commit everything and push it to your Git provider:

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Deploy to Sevalla

1

Create the application

In the sidebar, click Applications, then click Create > Application. Under Source, click Private repository, then choose the Git provider, the Repository and the Branch. Under Location, choose a Data center. Keep the Size at H1 or choose a larger one, then click Create application. The application opens on its Overview tab with the status Not deployed yet: creating an application doesn’t deploy it.
2

Deploy

Click the Overview tab, then click Deploy now under Recent deployments. Check the Branch and click Deploy.
3

Turn on auto-deploy

To deploy every push to the branch automatically, click the Settings tab, then click Update auto-deploy in the Auto-deploy section. Turn on Auto-deploy and click Update auto-deploy. See Deployments.

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Verify the deployment

  1. On the Deployments tab, wait for the deployment’s status to change to Deployed. The application’s status next to its name changes to Running.
  2. Click the domain under the application’s name, for example storefront-x7k2m.sevalla.app. The page shows Hello World!, the starter’s response.
The application header with its name, Running status, repository, branch and the domain that opens the applicationThe application header with its name, Running status, repository, branch and the domain that opens the application
If the deployment fails, open it on the Deployments tab and read its build log, then see Troubleshoot builds and deployments. If it deploys but the domain doesn’t respond, read the application’s runtime logs: Nest logs Nest application successfully started once it listens.

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Deploy changes

With Auto-deploy on, every push to the branch starts a deployment; otherwise, click Deploy now for each change. Each deployment builds the image, then replaces the web process’s instances. See Deployments.

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Use environment variables

Set configuration such as API keys on the application’s Environment variables tab instead of committing a .env file. Nest reads them from process.env, directly or through @nestjs/config. Variables apply at the next deployment. See Environment variables.

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Add a custom domain

To serve the application from your own domain, such as shop.example.com, add the domain on the application’s Domains tab and create the DNS records that Sevalla shows. Custom domains need a web process larger than H1, so scale the web process first. See Custom domains.

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Connect a database

Create a database in the same location as the application, then connect the application to it with Add environment variables to the application turned on. Sevalla adds DB_URL, DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME and DB_PASSWORD to the application (what each one holds), and they apply at the next deployment. Pass process.env.DB_URL to your ORM, such as TypeORM or Prisma.