podlift#

Production-ready Docker deployment tool with zero-downtime deployments

podlift is a modern deployment tool that makes deploying containerized applications simple, fast, and reliable. Built for developers who want production-grade deployments without the complexity of Kubernetes.

Prerequisites#

Before using podlift, your project needs:

  • Dockerfile - For building your application container
  • docker-compose.yml (optional) - For local development and testing

podlift will:

  1. Build your Docker image from your Dockerfile
  2. Deploy it to your servers with zero-downtime
  3. Handle nginx, SSL, load balancing, and dependencies automatically

Quick Start#

Install podlift:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ekinertac/podlift/main/install.sh | sh

Deploy your first app:

podlift init                    # Create configuration
podlift setup                   # Prepare server
podlift deploy                  # Deploy with zero-downtime

Key Features#

Zero-Downtime Deployments (Default)#

Deploy new versions without any service interruption. podlift automatically:

  • Starts new containers on temporary ports
  • Waits for health checks to pass
  • Switches nginx upstream atomically
  • Drains connections from old containers
  • Cleans up gracefully

Automatic Load Balancing#

Deploy to multiple servers and podlift automatically:

  • Sets up nginx load balancer
  • Configures health checks
  • Manages upstream pools
  • Handles server failures

SSL/HTTPS Made Easy#

One command to set up HTTPS:

podlift ssl setup

podlift handles Let’s Encrypt certificates, nginx configuration, and automatic renewals.

Smart Dependency Management#

Deploy and manage PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB, and more:

dependencies:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    health_check:
      cmd: pg_isready -U postgres

Universal Registry Support#

Works with any Docker registry:

  • Docker Hub
  • GitHub Container Registry
  • GitLab Registry
  • AWS ECR
  • Or use SCP for air-gapped deployments

Deployment Hooks#

Run custom scripts at any stage:

hooks:
  before_deploy: ./scripts/backup.sh
  after_deploy: ./scripts/notify-slack.sh
  after_rollback: ./scripts/alert-team.sh

Why podlift?#

Simple - One configuration file, intuitive commands
Fast - Zero-downtime deployments in seconds
Reliable - Automatic health checks and rollbacks
Production-Ready - SSL, load balancing, dependencies
Non-Interactive - Perfect for CI/CD pipelines

Learn More#

Getting Started#

Features#

Support#

Quick Example#

Your project structure:

myapp/
├── Dockerfile              # Required: Defines your app container
├── docker-compose.yml      # Optional: For local development
├── podlift.yml            # Created by: podlift init
└── src/                   # Your application code

Example Dockerfile:

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --production
COPY . .
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Example podlift.yml:

service:
  name: myapp
  domain: myapp.com
  image: myapp:latest
  port: 3000
  replicas: 2

servers:
  - host: 1.2.3.4
    user: deploy
  - host: 5.6.7.8
    user: deploy

ssl:
  enabled: true
  email: admin@myapp.com

dependencies:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data

Deploy:

podlift deploy

That’s it! Your app is live with:

  • Zero-downtime deployment
  • Automatic load balancing
  • HTTPS enabled
  • PostgreSQL running
  • Health checks monitoring

Open Source#

podlift is open source and available on GitHub. Contributions welcome!

License: MIT