---
title: "Introduction — Depfloy docs"
description: "Depfloy is a server management and application deployment service for modern web applications."
url: "https://depfloy.com/docs"
---

# Introduction

Depfloy is a self-service server management and deployment platform for modern web applications. You bring your own servers — your own Hetzner instance, an EC2 box you already pay for, or a leftover Linux machine — and Depfloy gives you a clean, opinionated way to provision, configure, and deploy on top of them.

Take control of your infrastructure with the kind of monitoring, automation, and rollbacks that hosted platforms offer, but without paying for compute you already own.

[Initialize Your Server](https://depfloy.com/docs/initialize-server) [Create Your First Project](https://depfloy.com/docs/create-project)

## Follow the setup guide

The Console setup guide tracks three stages against the resources you can currently access:

1.  **Server** — connect a fresh Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, or 26.04 server with a public IP, SSH access, and administrator privileges, or create one through a connected cloud provider. Wait until setup reports the server as ready.
2.  **Repository or application** — choose **Deploy from Git** to connect GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket and select a repository, or choose **Install an app** to use the catalog without a Git account.
3.  **Deployment or installation** — follow the project log until the first Git deployment or catalog installation succeeds.

The guide links back to a server or project that still needs attention. You can collapse or hide it; hiding it does not change any server, project, or deployment.

Depfloy does not include the server itself. Hetzner, AWS, DigitalOcean, or another hosting provider bills its infrastructure separately from your Depfloy subscription.

## Servers, projects, and deployments

Depfloy organises everything around three concepts:

-   **Servers** — the machines Depfloy connects to over SSH. Each server has a type (application, database, cache, search, or load balancer) and is the home for one or more projects.
-   **Projects** — applications running on a server. A project can come from a Git repository or from the application catalog.
-   **Deployments** — build attempts for Git-backed projects. They can start from a Git push or from the Console. Catalog applications use an installation and update flow instead.

For more, see [Projects and Deployments](https://depfloy.com/docs/projects-and-deployments).

## Finding your way around

Most of your time in Depfloy is spent in the **Console** — a sidebar on the left lists your servers and projects, and the main panel shows whatever you click. The top bar moves you between **Console**, the global **Deployments** list, the **Activity** timeline, and (if you are an admin) **Configuration**. Account settings — your profile, API tokens, notifications, billing — live behind the avatar dropdown in the top-right.

For a full tour, see [Console Overview](https://depfloy.com/docs/console-overview).

## What Depfloy is not

Depfloy is not a hosting platform. You bring your own servers — that can be a server from any cloud provider (AWS, Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Google Cloud), a dedicated machine, or any Linux box you can reach over SSH.

It is also not zero-effort. The first time you connect a server you need a clean Ubuntu install (22.04, 24.04, or 26.04) and SSH access — unless you connect a Hetzner, AWS or DigitalOcean account, in which case Depfloy creates the machine and prepares it for you. Once a server is connected, day-to-day work happens through the Console.

[Create your Depfloy account](https://app.depfloy.com/register)

## Guides

### Projects and deployments

How projects and deployments fit together.

[Read more →](https://depfloy.com/docs/projects-and-deployments)

### Initialize Server

Connect a server to Depfloy, or have one provisioned for you.

[Read more →](https://depfloy.com/docs/initialize-server)

### Create Project

Point a project at a repository and deploy it.

[Read more →](https://depfloy.com/docs/create-project)

### Developer Guide

Known issues and the recommendations that avoid them.

[Read more →](https://depfloy.com/docs/developer-guide)