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Kernel’s app deployment process is as simple as it is fast. There are no configuration files to manage or complex CI/CD pipelines. Once you deploy an app on Kernel, you can schedule its actions on a job or run them from other contexts. You can even run actions multiple times in parallel.

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Deploy the app

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From local directory

Use our CLI from the root directory of your project: 
kernel deploy <entrypoint_file_name>

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Notes

  • The entrypoint_file_name is the file name where you defined your app.
  • Include a .gitignore file to exclude dependency folders like node_modules and .venv.

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From GitHub

You can deploy an app directly from a public or private GitHub repository using the Kernel CLI — no need to clone or manually push code. 
kernel deploy github \
  --url https://github.com/<owner>/<repo> \
  --ref <branch|tag|commit> \
  --entrypoint <path/to/entrypoint> \
  [--path <optional/subdir>] \
  [--github-token <token>] \
  [--env KEY=value ...] \
  [--env-file .env] \
  [--version latest] \
  [--force]

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Notes

  • --path vs --entrypoint: Use --path to specify a subdirectory within the repo (useful for monorepos), and --entrypoint for the path to your app’s entry file relative to that directory (or repo root if no --path is specified).
  • The CLI automatically downloads and extracts the GitHub source code and uploads your app for deployment.
  • For private repositories, provide a --github-token or set the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable.

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Environment variables

You can set environment variables for your app using the --env flag. For example: 
kernel deploy my_app.ts --env MY_ENV_VAR=my_value # Can add multiple env vars delimited by space

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Deployment notes

  • The dependency manifest (package.json for JS/TS, pyproject.toml for Python) must be present in the root directory of your project.
  • View deployment logs using: kernel deploy logs <deployment_id> --follow
  • If you encounter a 500 error during deployment, verify that your entrypoint file name and extension are correct (e.g., app.py not app or app.js).
  • Kernel assumes the root directory contains at least this file structure:
project-root/
  ├─ .gitignore # Exclude dependency folders like node_modules
  ├─ my_app.ts # Entrypoint file (can be located in a subdirectory, e.g. src/my_app.ts)
  ├─ package.json
  ├─ tsconfig.json # If using TypeScript
  └─ bun.lock | package-lock.json | pnpm-lock.yaml # One of these lockfiles

# Successful deployment CLI output
SUCCESS  Compressed files
SUCCESS  Deployment successful
SUCCESS  App "my_app.ts" deployed with action(s): [my-action]
INFO  Invoke with: kernel invoke my-app my-action --payload '{...}'
SUCCESS  Total deployment time: 2.78s
Once deployed, you can invoke your app from anywhere.
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