Deno Deploy

This skill provides guidance for deploying applications to Deno Deploy.

Scope Boundaries

This skill applies only to Deno Deploy questions. Follow these rules:

• If the user asks about AWS Lambda, Vercel, Netlify, Google Cloud Run, Docker, Kubernetes, or any other deployment platform, answer using that platform directly. Do not mention Deno Deploy at all — not as an alternative, not as a comparison, not as a suggestion.
• If the user asks about running a local Deno script (not deploying), answer the local question directly. Do not mention Deno Deploy, deployment, or the --tunnel flag.
• Do not include deno deploy commands, Deno KV, or Deno Deploy environment variable configuration in responses about other platforms or local-only scripts.
• Only discuss Deno Deploy when the user explicitly asks about Deno Deploy or deploying a Deno application to production.

Important: Use deno deploy, NOT deployctl

Always use the deno deploy command. Do NOT use deployctl.

• deployctl is for Deno Deploy Classic (deprecated)
• deno deploy is the modern, integrated command built into the Deno CLI
• Requires Deno >= 2.4.2 - the deno deploy subcommand was introduced in Deno 2.4

When Unsure About CLI Flags

Always run --help before guessing at flags. The deno deploy subcommand has many flags, and they change between versions. When you're unsure what a command accepts:

# See all subcommands
deno deploy --help

# See flags for a specific subcommand
deno deploy create --help
deno deploy env --help
deno deploy database --help

This takes seconds and prevents repeated trial-and-error failures. Never assume a flag exists — check first.

Deployment Workflow

Always show the core deploy command first — then explain diagnostic steps. When a user asks "how do I deploy?", lead with the actual command (deno deploy --prod) before covering pre-flight checks and configuration.

Step 1: Locate the App Directory

Before running any deploy commands, find where the Deno app is located:

# Check if deno.json exists in current directory
if [ -f "deno.json" ] || [ -f "deno.jsonc" ]; then
  echo "APP_DIR: $(pwd)"
else
  # Look for deno.json in immediate subdirectories
  find . -maxdepth 2 -name "deno.json" -o -name "deno.jsonc" 2>/dev/null | head -5
fi

All deploy commands must run from the app directory.

Step 2: Pre-Flight Checks

Check Deno version and existing configuration:

# Check Deno version (must be >= 2.4.2)
deno --version | head -1

# Check for existing deploy config
grep -E '"org"|"app"' deno.json deno.jsonc 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_DEPLOY_CONFIG"

Step 3: Check for Startup Dependencies

Before deploying, check if the app connects to a database or external service at startup (e.g., top-level await initDb() in main.ts). If it does, the deploy will fail during warmup because the database doesn't exist yet.

If the app has startup database dependencies, follow this order:

1. Create the app with --no-wait so a warmup failure doesn't block you:

   deno deploy create \
     --org <ORG_NAME> --app <APP_NAME> \
     --source local --runtime-mode dynamic --entrypoint main.ts \
     --build-timeout 5 --build-memory-limit 1024 --region us \
     --no-wait
   

2. Provision and assign the database:

   deno deploy database provision my-db --kind prisma --region us-east-1
   deno deploy database assign my-db --app <APP_NAME>
   

3. Redeploy (now the database exists, warmup will succeed):

   deno deploy --prod
   

If the app has no startup dependencies, skip this step and deploy normally below.

Step 4: Deploy Based on Configuration

If deploy.org AND deploy.app exist in deno.json:

# Build if needed (Fresh, Astro, etc.)
deno task build

# Deploy to production
deno deploy --prod

If NO deploy config exists:

Apps must be created before they can be deployed to. You cannot run deno deploy --prod until an app exists.

IMPORTANT: Ask the user first - Do they have an existing app on Deno Deploy, or do they need to create a new one?

If they have an existing app, add the config directly to deno.json:

{
  "deploy": {
    "org": "<ORG_NAME>",
    "app": "<APP_NAME>"
  }
}

The org name is in the Deno Deploy console URL (e.g., console.deno.com/your-org-name). Once this config is in place, subsequent deploys just need deno deploy --prod.

If they need to create a new app:

The CLI needs an organization name. Find it at https://console.deno.com - the org is in the URL path (e.g., console.deno.com/your-org-name).

Interactive creation (opens a browser — only works when a human is at the keyboard):

deno deploy create --org <ORG_NAME>
# A browser window opens - complete the app creation there

Non-interactive creation (use when an AI agent is performing the deploy, or in CI/CD):

deno deploy create \
  --org <ORG_NAME> \
  --app <APP_NAME> \
  --source local \
  --runtime-mode dynamic \
  --entrypoint main.ts \
  --build-timeout 5 \
  --build-memory-limit 1024 \
  --region us

The create command also does the initial deploy. After it completes, deno.json is updated with deploy.org and deploy.app automatically. From that point on, subsequent deploys only need:

deno deploy --prod

After completion, verify the config was saved:

grep -E '"org"|"app"' deno.json

When an AI agent is performing the deployment, always use the non-interactive flow with explicit flags. The interactive flow requires browser windows and terminal prompts that agents cannot navigate.

Core Commands

Production Deployment

deno deploy --prod

Preview Deployment

deno deploy

Preview deployments create a unique URL for testing without affecting production.

Targeting Specific Apps

deno deploy --org my-org --app my-app --prod

Configuring an Entrypoint

Set the entrypoint in your deno.json (this is used by deno deploy create during app creation):

{
  "deploy": {
    "entrypoint": "main.ts"
  }
}

Note: --entrypoint is a flag on deno deploy create, not on deno deploy itself.

Additional Flags

These flags are available on deno deploy create (and apply during the initial deploy):

Creating Apps (Non-Interactive Reference)

When any flag beyond --org is provided, deno deploy create runs in non-interactive mode — all required flags must be specified. This is the recommended approach for AI agents and CI/CD pipelines.

Required Flags

GitHub Source Flags

When using --source github, you also need:

Build Configuration Flags

The CLI auto-detects your framework and build configuration. If a framework is detected, you can skip --install-command, --build-command, --pre-deploy-command, and --runtime-mode — they'll be inferred from the preset. Use --do-not-use-detected-build-config to override detection. When using this flag, all three build commands (--install-command, --build-command, --pre-deploy-command) plus --runtime-mode become required — omitting any of them causes exit code 2.

Runtime Mode Flags

You must pick a runtime mode with --runtime-mode <dynamic|static> (unless a framework preset handles it).

Dynamic mode (for apps with a server):

Static mode (for static sites):

Other Flags

Examples

Simple Deno server:

deno deploy create \
  --org my-org --app my-api \
  --source local \
  --runtime-mode dynamic --entrypoint main.ts \
  --build-timeout 5 --build-memory-limit 1024 --region us

Fresh app (framework auto-detected):

deno deploy create \
  --org my-org --app my-fresh-app \
  --source local \
  --build-timeout 5 --build-memory-limit 1024 --region us

Next.js from GitHub:

deno deploy create \
  --org my-org --app my-next-app \
  --source github --owner my-github-user --repo my-next-repo \
  --framework-preset Next \
  --build-timeout 15 --build-memory-limit 2048 --region us \
  --allow-node-modules

Static site:

deno deploy create \
  --org my-org --app my-static-site \
  --source local \
  --runtime-mode static --static-dir dist --single-page-app \
  --build-command "deno task build" \
  --build-timeout 5 --build-memory-limit 1024 --region us

Environment Variables

Contexts

Deno Deploy has three "contexts" - logical environments where your code runs, each with its own set of variables:

You can set different values for the same variable in each context. For example, you might use a test database URL in Development and the real one in Production.

Predefined Variables

These are automatically available in your code:

Accessing Variables in Code

const dbUrl = Deno.env.get("DATABASE_URL");
const isDenoDeploy = Deno.env.get("DENO_DEPLOY") === "1";

Managing Variables via CLI

# Add a plain text variable
deno deploy env add DATABASE_URL "postgres://..."

# Add a secret variable (hidden after creation, only readable in code)
deno deploy env add API_KEY "sk-..." --secret

# List all variables
deno deploy env list

# Update just the value (keeps contexts and secret status)
deno deploy env update-value DATABASE_URL "postgres://new-url..."

# Update which contexts a variable applies to
deno deploy env update-contexts DATABASE_URL production development

# Delete a variable
deno deploy env delete DATABASE_URL

# Load from .env file (all values treated as secrets by default)
deno deploy env load .env.production

# Load from .env file, marking specific keys as non-secrets
deno deploy env load .env.production --non-secrets PUBLIC_URL APP_NAME

Variable Types

• Plain text - Visible in the dashboard, good for feature flags and non-sensitive config
• Secrets - Hidden after creation, only readable in your code, use for API keys and credentials

Limits

• Key names: max 128 bytes
• Values: max 16 KB
• Keys cannot start with DENO_, LD_, or OTEL_

Viewing Logs

# Stream live logs
deno deploy logs

# Filter by date range
deno deploy logs --start 2026-01-15 --end 2026-01-16

Databases & Storage

Deno Deploy provides built-in database support with automatic environment isolation. Each environment (production, preview, branch) gets its own isolated database automatically.

Available Options

Deno KV Quick Start

No configuration needed - just use the built-in API:

const kv = await Deno.openKv();

// Store data
await kv.set(["users", "alice"], { name: "Alice", role: "admin" });

// Retrieve data
const user = await kv.get(["users", "alice"]);
console.log(user.value); // { name: "Alice", role: "admin" }

// List by prefix
for await (const entry of kv.list({ prefix: ["users"] })) {
  console.log(entry.key, entry.value);
}

Deno Deploy automatically connects to the correct database based on your environment.

PostgreSQL

For PostgreSQL, Deno Deploy injects environment variables (DATABASE_URL, PGHOST, etc.) that most libraries detect automatically:

// Recommended: npm:pg (best PostgreSQL driver for Deno Deploy)
import pg from "npm:pg";
const pool = new pg.Pool(); // Reads DATABASE_URL from environment automatically

Provisioning

Use the deno deploy database command to provision and manage databases:

# Provision a Deno KV database
deno deploy database provision my-database --kind denokv

# Provision a Prisma PostgreSQL database
deno deploy database provision my-database --kind prisma --region us-east-1

# Assign to your app
deno deploy database assign my-database --app my-app

For detailed CLI commands, see Databases.

Local Development

Use --tunnel to connect to your hosted development database locally:

deno task --tunnel dev

See Databases and Deno KV for detailed documentation.

Local Development Tunnel

The tunnel feature lets you expose your local development server to the internet. This is useful for:

• Testing webhooks - Receive webhook callbacks from external services
• Sharing with teammates - Let others preview your local work
• Mobile testing - Access your local server from other devices

Basic Usage

Add the --tunnel flag when running your app:

deno run --tunnel -A main.ts

The first time you run this, it will:

1. Ask you to authenticate with Deno Deploy (opens a browser)
2. Ask you to select which app to connect the tunnel to
3. Generate a public URL that forwards requests to your local server

Using with Tasks

You can use --tunnel with your existing tasks in deno.json:

deno task --tunnel dev

This runs your dev task with the tunnel enabled.

What the Tunnel Provides

Beyond just forwarding requests, the tunnel also:

• Syncs environment variables - Variables set in your Deno Deploy app's "Local" context become available to your local process
• Sends logs and metrics - OpenTelemetry data goes to the Deno Deploy dashboard (filter with context:local)
• Connects to databases - Automatically connects to your assigned local development databases

Managing Tunnels

• View active tunnels in the Deno Deploy dashboard under the "Tunnels" tab
• Stop a tunnel by terminating the Deno process (Ctrl+C)

Command Reference

Edge Runtime Notes

Deno Deploy runs in one or many regions (globally distributed). Keep in mind:

• Environment variables - Must be set via deno deploy env, not .env files at runtime
• Global distribution - Code runs at the region closest to users
• Cold starts - First request after idle may be slightly slower

Additional References

• Authentication - Interactive and CI/CD authentication
• Databases - Database provisioning and connections
• Deno KV - Key-value storage API and examples
• Domains - Custom domains and SSL certificates
• Frameworks - Framework-specific deployment guides
• Organizations - Managing orgs and members
• Runtime - Lifecycle, cold starts, and limitations
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

Documentation

• Official docs: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/
• CLI reference: https://docs.deno.com/runtime/reference/cli/deploy/
• Databases: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/databases/
• Deno KV: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/deno_kv/
• Domains: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/domains/
• Environment variables & contexts: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/env_vars_and_contexts/
• Organizations: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/organizations/
• Runtime: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/runtime/
• Tunnel: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/tunnel/