To deploy a Dockerfile application on Coolify, create an application in the target project and environment, connect its source, select Dockerfile as the build method, set the correct build context and Dockerfile path, expose the container’s listening port, then add the domain, variables, storage, and health checks before deploying. The application must listen on 0.0.0.0, not only 127.0.0.1, or Coolify’s proxy cannot reach it.
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What you need before creating the application
Coolify can be self-hosted or used as a cloud service, but your workloads run on servers you supply. Before opening the application form, confirm that the target server is connected, the project and environment already exist, and you know which source model fits your Dockerfile.
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- A Git repository is required when the image needs application files, dependency manifests, configuration templates, or other files through
COPYorADD. - A Dockerfile entered directly in Coolify can build only from the Dockerfile configuration itself; it has no repository build context from which to copy application files.
- An existing image can be deployed when you do not need Coolify to build the image.
- Decide which internal port the process listens on and make sure the application binds that port to
0.0.0.0. - Collect the production domain, runtime variables, build arguments, persistent-data paths, and any health endpoint before deployment.
A Dockerfile is the right choice when you need exact control over the base image, installed packages, copied files, build stages, runtime user, and default container command. That control also means that an incorrect working directory, port, command, or file path can stop the deployment even when the Dockerfile builds successfully.
Choose the source and build path
| Deployment path | Use it when | Build-context consequence | Typical automation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Git repository with Dockerfile | The image copies source code or other repository files. | Coolify checks out the repository and uses the selected base directory as Docker’s build context. | Git-triggered or manually started deployments. |
| Dockerfile without Git | The Dockerfile can build without files from a repository. | There is no repository context, so COPY and ADD cannot retrieve application files from Git. |
Manually triggered deployments after configuration changes. |
| Existing Docker image | The image has already been built elsewhere and only needs runtime configuration. | Coolify does not build the image from your Dockerfile. | Pull and run operations controlled by the image source. |
For most source-based applications, use the Git-backed path. It gives the Docker build access to the complete repository and lets you redeploy from a branch or deployment trigger. Use the no-Git option only when the Dockerfile is genuinely self-contained or when the files it needs are available through another mechanism.
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Create the application in Coolify
- Open the destination. In Coolify, open the project and environment where the service should run, then choose the option to create a new application.
- Select the source. Choose a public repository, a repository accessed with a deploy key, or a supported Git App connection. If no repository files are needed, choose the Dockerfile-without-Git path instead.
- Choose the Docker build method. For a Git-backed application, select Dockerfile in Build pack while creating the application. In current terminology, the setting appears after creation as Build strategy under General > Build pipeline.
- Set the base directory. Enter the directory that should become Docker’s build context. A repository root is common, but a monorepo service may need a subdirectory.
- Set Dockerfile Location. Enter the Dockerfile path relative to the selected base directory. If the base directory is a service folder, do not repeat that folder in the Dockerfile path.
- Save the initial configuration. Reopen the application settings and confirm that the build strategy, base directory, and Dockerfile location describe the same filesystem layout.
Set the Docker build context correctly
Docker resolves COPY and ADD from the build context, not from every file visible in the repository. For example, if the base directory is services/api, a Dockerfile there can copy files inside that context, but it cannot reach a sibling directory by using a path that escapes the context.
Monorepo example
Suppose a repository contains services/game-api/Dockerfile and the application source under services/game-api/src. Set Base Directory to services/game-api and set Dockerfile Location to Dockerfile. If the Dockerfile is kept at the repository root while it builds that service, set the base directory to the repository root and use the root-relative Dockerfile path instead.
How to diagnose a context error
- A build fails with a missing-file error even though the file exists elsewhere in the repository.
- The Dockerfile uses a path beginning with a parent-directory reference such as
../. - The deployment log shows that the expected directory was never sent to the Docker builder.
Fix the base directory or reorganize the repository so every file referenced by COPY and ADD is inside the selected context. A Dockerfile stored directly in Coolify cannot solve this problem because it does not acquire a Git repository context.
Configure the internal port and network binding
In the application settings, set Ports Exposes to the port on which the process listens inside the container. This is the internal container port used for proxy routing; it is not automatically the server’s public host port.
Bind the process to all container interfaces
The application must listen on 0.0.0.0. A process bound only to 127.0.0.1 accepts connections from inside its own container but rejects the Coolify proxy’s connection, so the deployment can appear healthy while the domain returns a gateway or connection error.
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Do not confuse internal ports with host mappings
Normal Coolify domain routing uses the internal port and the proxy. A host-port mapping publishes a port directly on the server and bypasses that normal domain-based path. It can also block rolling replacement: the old and new containers cannot bind the same host port at the same time. Use a host mapping only when direct server-port access is an explicit requirement.
Port verification
- Confirm that the application’s startup configuration uses the same port entered in Ports Exposes.
- Confirm that the process binds to
0.0.0.0, not just localhost. - Check application logs for the actual listening address and port.
- If the service reads a port environment variable, set that variable consistently with the Coolify port setting.
Add the domain, variables, and storage
Public domain
Add the public domain in the application’s domain settings after the container port is known. Coolify routes the domain to healthy HTTP containers through its proxy. A correct DNS record, a listening process, a matching internal port, and a healthy container are all required; adding a domain alone does not make an application reachable.
Runtime environment variables
Put values needed by the running process in Coolify’s environment settings. This includes database endpoints, authentication configuration, feature flags, and the application’s runtime port when the image expects one. Saving a variable does not necessarily replace the running container immediately: environment changes require a deploy or restart before the process receives them.
Build arguments and build secrets
Values needed only while building can be managed under Advanced > Build as build arguments. Treat sensitive build-time values differently from ordinary configuration. When available, use Docker BuildKit secrets rather than writing credentials in Dockerfile instructions or ordinary build arguments. Build arguments and Dockerfile layers can become visible in image metadata or cached layers.
Keep production secrets out of the image
Do not hard-code production passwords, private keys, or tokens in Dockerfile instructions. A value copied into an image layer can remain available even after the visible line is removed in a later layer. Store runtime secrets in Coolify’s variable management and use an appropriate build-secret mechanism for values that must exist only during image creation.
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Persistent storage
Add a volume or bind mount for data that must survive container replacement. This is appropriate for uploads, generated assets, or a local database that the application explicitly supports. A volume or bind mount is not a backup: deletion, disk failure, corruption, or server loss can still destroy it. Configure independent backups and test restoration for important data.
Health checks: optional, but valuable
You can define a Docker HEALTHCHECK in the image or configure a Coolify health check. A health check should test the service’s real readiness rather than merely confirm that a process exists.
For an HTTP service with a health endpoint, an image-level check can use:
CMD curl --fail http://localhost:3000/health || exit 1The command used by a Docker health check must exist in the image. If the image does not include curl, that check will fail even when the application itself works. Use a command available in the selected base image, or configure the check in Coolify instead.
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- Build succeeds, health fails: inspect the command, endpoint, internal port, startup time, and required environment variables.
- Health succeeds, domain fails: verify proxy routing, the exposed port, the bind address, and DNS.
- Health never becomes ready: check whether the application needs migrations, a dependency connection, or a longer startup period.
Deploy and read the deployment log
- Choose Deploy after saving the application settings.
- Watch the build stages and confirm that Coolify used the intended Dockerfile and base directory.
- Look for dependency installation, file-copy steps, build stages, and the final image creation.
- After the image is created, confirm that Coolify applies environment variables, storage, ports, domains, and health-check settings when it creates the container.
- Open the application logs and verify the expected startup message, listening address, and port.
- Check the health status, then request the configured domain from an external client.
Coolify’s deployment sequence queues a trigger, checks out source or reads the Docker configuration, builds or pulls the image, applies runtime configuration, starts the container, and routes configured domains to healthy HTTP containers. A successful image build is therefore only one checkpoint; runtime configuration and proxy reachability still need verification.
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Verification checklist after deployment
- The build log shows the intended Dockerfile stages and finishes without a missing-context error.
- The container process listens on the configured internal port.
- The process binds to
0.0.0.0. - All required runtime variables are present, and no production secret is embedded in image instructions or layers.
- The health check succeeds when one is configured.
- Coolify application logs show the expected startup behavior rather than a crash loop.
- The public domain reaches the healthy container through the proxy.
- Persistent paths are mounted at the locations expected by the application.
- Important persistent data is covered by a separate backup and tested restore procedure.
Troubleshoot the most common failures
The build cannot find a file
Check the selected base directory first. The Dockerfile can copy only from its build context. Correct the base directory, change the Dockerfile path to be relative to that directory, or move the required files inside the context. A no-Git Dockerfile cannot copy source files from a repository.
The container starts but the domain cannot connect
Read the application log to identify the actual listening port and address. Make sure Ports Exposes matches that internal port and that the process binds to 0.0.0.0. Remove an unnecessary host-port mapping, then verify that the domain is configured for the application and that the container is healthy.
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A running container is not necessarily a routable container. The process may have exited and been restarted, may be listening on another port, or may be failing its health check. Inspect health status and logs before changing DNS or rebuilding the image.
Environment changes appear to have no effect
Saving settings does not always replace the running container. Deploy or restart after changing variables, storage, health checks, ports, networks, or resource limits. Build-related changes require a deployment that creates or reuses an image.
A replacement deployment cannot start
Look for a host-port collision. Two containers cannot bind the same host port during a normal rolling replacement. Prefer internal-port proxy routing unless direct host access is required.
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The health check fails immediately
Confirm that the health-check command exists in the image, that the endpoint and port are correct, and that the application is ready before the check runs. If the endpoint depends on a database or migration, make readiness reflect that dependency rather than testing too early.
Redeployments, changes, and data safety
Use a new deployment when the Dockerfile, source code, build arguments, or image contents change. Use a restart or deployment when runtime variables, mounts, health checks, ports, networks, or limits change. After every change, repeat the relevant verification steps instead of assuming that a saved setting altered the running container.
Container replacement is normal during deployment. Treat the container filesystem as disposable unless a path is explicitly mounted. Backups must be independent of the volume or bind mount, and restoration should be tested on a separate or replaceable environment.
Using the Coolify CLI instead of the web interface
The official CLI workflow requires a verified CLI context and token, the project and server UUIDs, a target environment, a Git repository and branch, a build pack, and an exposed port. The workflow then creates the application, configures variables, deploys by UUID or name, lists deployments, retrieves deployment details, and inspects application logs.
The same deployment facts apply through the CLI: choose the correct repository and branch, use Dockerfile as the build method, provide the internal container port, and verify logs and health after deployment. The CLI does not remove the need for a valid build context or a process listening on 0.0.0.0.
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- Choose Git plus Dockerfile when your image needs source files, dependency manifests, multiple build stages, or automatic redeployments from repository changes.
- Choose a Dockerfile without Git only when the build is self-contained and does not need repository files through
COPYorADD. - Choose an existing image when another pipeline already builds and publishes the image and Coolify’s role is to run it with domains, variables, storage, and health checks.
- Avoid direct host-port publishing unless an external system specifically requires it; internal-port routing preserves the normal proxy path and makes replacement easier.
The reliable pattern is consistent across these choices: build from the intended context, expose the process’s internal listening port, bind it to all interfaces, keep secrets out of image layers, mount data deliberately, and verify the proxy path after the container becomes healthy.
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