# ⚡ DCD - Deploy Docker Apps in Seconds, Not Hours
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[](https://crates.io/crates/dcd)
[](https://crates.io/crates/dcd)
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**The simplest way to deploy Docker Compose applications to any server**
*Stop wrestling with complex CI/CD. Start shipping faster.*
[🎯 Quick Start](#-quick-start) • [🔥 Features](#-why-developers-love-dcd) • [📖 Examples](#-real-world-examples) • [🛠️ Install](#-installation)
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---
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<img src="demo/demo.gif" alt="DCD in action - deploy in seconds" width="800">
<p><em>Deploy your Docker app to production in one command ⚡</em></p>
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## 💡 The Problem Every Developer Knows
You've built something amazing locally. `docker-compose up` works perfectly. Now you need to deploy it...
**Option 1: Managed Platforms**
- 💸 Expensive as you scale
- 🔒 Vendor lock-in
- ⚙️ Limited customization
- 🚫 Not all apps supported
**Option 2: Complex CI/CD**
- 📚 Hours learning Kubernetes/Docker Swarm
- 🔧 Complex pipeline setup
- 🐛 More things to break
- ⏰ Weeks to get right
**What if there was a third way?**
## ✨ Meet DCD - Your Deploy Button for Any Server
DCD gives you the **simplicity of Heroku** with the **power of your own server**. Deploy Docker Compose apps to any VPS with a single command.
```bash
# That's it. Your app is live. 🎉
dcd up user@your-server.com
```
**Perfect for:**
- 🏗️ Personal projects that outgrew localhost
- 💡 Side hustles that need production deployment
- 🚀 Startups wanting infrastructure control
- 👨💻 Developers who value simplicity over complexity
## 🔥 Why Developers Love DCD
### 🎯 **Zero Configuration Deployment**
No YAML hell, no pipeline setup. If it runs with `docker-compose`, it deploys with DCD.
### ⚡ **Lightning Fast**
From code change to live production in under 30 seconds. No build queues, no waiting.
### 🔒 **Your Infrastructure, Your Rules**
Deploy to any Linux server you control. Keep your data, control your costs.
### 🔄 **GitHub Actions Ready**
Drop-in action for automatic deployments. Perfect CI/CD in 5 lines of YAML.
### 💰 **Save Money**
$5/month VPS vs $20+/month managed platform. DCD pays for itself immediately.
## 🚀 Quick Start
### Install DCD
```bash
# macOS
brew install g1ibby/dcd/dcd
# Other platforms
cargo install dcd
```
*Or download from [releases](https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd/releases)*
### Deploy Your First App
```bash
# 1. Have a docker-compose.yml? ✅
# 2. Have SSH access to a server? ✅
# 3. Deploy!
dcd up user@your-server.com
# That's literally it. Your app is live!
```
### Setup Automatic Deployments
Add this to `.github/workflows/deploy.yml`:
```yaml
- name: Deploy to production
uses: g1ibby/dcd/dcd-deploy@v1
with:
target: ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}@${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
ssh_private_key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
```
**Push to main = instant deployment** ⚡
## 🌟 Real-World Success Story
### Why I Built DCD - My HomeLLM Deployment Story
I created DCD to solve my own deployment frustrations while building [HomeLLM](https://github.com/g1ibby/homellm) - a self-hosted AI platform with Open WebUI, LiteLLM proxy, PostgreSQL, and Traefik.
**The Pain Before DCD:**
Every deployment was a manual nightmare:
```bash
ssh user@my-server.com
cd /opt/homellm
git pull origin main
docker-compose down
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d
```
This process took 5-10 minutes and often failed. I avoided deploying updates, which meant bugs stayed unfixed and features took weeks to reach production.
**After Building DCD:**
```bash
dcd up user@my-server.com
```
**The transformation:**
- ⚡ **10x faster**
- 🔄 **100% reliable**
- 🚀 **Deploy confidence**
- 🎯 **Focus on features**
[**See the live deployment workflow →**](https://github.com/g1ibby/homellm/blob/main/.github/workflows/deploy.yml)
Now HomeLLM automatically deploys every time I push to main. What used to be a stressful weekend task is now a seamless part of my development flow.
## Real-World Examples
### The Side Project That Became Profitable
**Before DCD:**
```bash
# Every deployment was a nightmare
ssh user@server
git pull
docker-compose down
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d
```
**With DCD:**
```bash
dcd up user@server
```
**Result:** Went from deploying once a week (too scary) to deploying multiple times per day. Shipped features faster, caught bugs earlier, grew revenue 3x.
## 🎯 Perfect For Your Stack
### **What Works Great**
- 🐳 Any Docker Compose app
- 🌐 Web apps (React, Vue, Next.js...)
- 🗄️ Full-stack apps with databases
- 🤖 AI/ML applications
- 📊 Data analytics platforms
- 🔗 API services and microservices
### **Supported Platforms**
- 🐧 Ubuntu/Debian servers
- ☁️ Any VPS (DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS EC2...)
- 🏠 Self-hosted servers
- 🔒 Private infrastructure
## 🛠️ Advanced Features
<details>
<summary><strong>📋 Full Command Reference</strong></summary>
### Commands
- `dcd analyze` - Preview what will be deployed
- `dcd up <target>` - Deploy or update your app
- `dcd status <target>` - Check deployment status
- `dcd destroy <target>` - Clean removal
### Global Options
```bash
-f, --file <FILES>... Docker Compose files
-e, --env-file <FILES>... Environment files
-i, --identity <KEY> SSH private key (Auto-detects ~/.ssh/id_rsa or ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 if not specified)
-w, --workdir <DIR> Remote working directory
-v, --verbose Debug output
```
### Examples
```bash
# Multiple compose files
dcd -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml up user@server
# Custom SSH key and port
dcd -i ~/.ssh/deploy_key up user@server.com:2222
# Different environment
dcd -e .env.production up user@prod-server.com
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>🔄 GitHub Actions Integration</strong></summary>
### Basic Setup
```yaml
name: Deploy
on:
push:
branches: [main]
jobs:
deploy:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: g1ibby/dcd/dcd-deploy@v1
with:
target: ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}@${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
ssh_private_key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
```
### Advanced Configuration
```yaml
- uses: g1ibby/dcd/dcd-deploy@v1
with:
command: up
target: ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}@${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
compose_files: "docker-compose.yml docker-compose.prod.yml"
env_files: ".env.prod"
ssh_private_key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
remote_dir: "/opt/myapp"
no_health_check: false
```
### Environment Management
```yaml
jobs:
deploy:
environment: production # GitHub environment with secrets
env:
DATABASE_URL: ${{ secrets.DATABASE_URL }}
API_KEY: ${{ secrets.API_KEY }}
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>⚙️ Technical Details</strong></summary>
### How DCD Works
1. **Analyzes** your Docker Compose configuration locally
2. **Syncs** necessary files to your server via SSH/SFTP
3. **Installs** Docker if needed (optional)
4. **Deploys** using `docker compose up`
5. **Verifies** health checks pass
6. **Reports** success or failure
### File Synchronization
- Automatically detects referenced files in volumes
- Syncs only what's needed
- Preserves file permissions
- Creates backups before updates
### Environment Variables
- Scans compose files for variable usage
- Sources from local environment
- Generates `.env.dcd` file for remote deployment
- Secure handling of secrets
### Security
- Uses SSH key authentication
- Files transferred over encrypted SFTP
- No credentials stored on remote server
- Configurable working directories
</details>
## 🤝 Join the Community
### 🌟 **Show Your Support**
Star this repo if DCD helps your deployments! ⭐
### 🐛 **Found a Bug?**
[Open an issue](https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd/issues) - we respond fast!
### 💡 **Have Ideas?**
[Join discussions](https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd/discussions) and help shape DCD's future.
### 🔗 **Spread the Word**
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Just%20discovered%20DCD%20-%20deploy%20Docker%20apps%20in%20seconds!%20https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd)
- [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd&title=DCD%20-%20Deploy%20Docker%20Compose%20apps%20to%20any%20server%20in%20seconds)
- [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/submitlink?u=https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd&t=DCD%20-%20Deploy%20Docker%20Compose%20apps%20to%20any%20server%20in%20seconds)
## 📦 Installation
### macOS (Homebrew)
```bash
brew install g1ibby/dcd/dcd
```
### Using Cargo
```bash
cargo install dcd
```
### Download Binary
Get the latest release for your platform:
- [Linux (x86_64)](https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd/releases)
- [macOS (Intel)](https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd/releases)
- [macOS (Apple Silicon)](https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd/releases)
### Verify Installation
```bash
dcd --version
```
## 🚀 Ready to Deploy Faster?
Stop spending hours on deployment setup. Start shipping features.
```bash
# Install DCD
brew install g1ibby/dcd/dcd # macOS
# cargo install dcd # Other platforms
# Deploy your app
dcd up user@your-server.com
```
---
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**Made with ❤️ for developers who want to ship, not configure**
[🐛 Report Bug](https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd/issues) • [💡 Request Feature](https://github.com/g1ibby/dcd/discussions) • [📖 Documentation](CONTRIBUTING.md)
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## 📝 Current Limitations
While DCD handles most Docker Compose deployments perfectly, there are a few current limitations:
- **Build Context**: Services using `build:` directive aren't supported yet. Use pre-built images from registries instead.
- **Platform Support**: Currently optimized for Debian/Ubuntu systems. Other Linux distributions may need adjustments.
---
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<sub>Built with 🦀 Rust for maximum performance and reliability</sub>
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