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Deploy from GitHub

Deploying from a Git repository is the most common way to run an app on Helicarrier Cloud. You connect a repo, Helicarrier builds it into an image, and it runs the result — rebuilding on every push if you want.

When you add a Git repository service, you have two ways to point at your code:

  • GitHub App — connect your GitHub account and pick a repository from the list. This also enables push-based auto-deploys and shows commit details on each deployment.
  • Direct Git URL — paste any public Git URL. Useful for public repos or providers outside the GitHub connection. (Push webhooks are only available through the GitHub App.)

Choose a branch to deploy; Helicarrier tracks that branch for builds and (if enabled) auto-deploys.

Helicarrier picks a build strategy automatically:

  • Railpack (zero-config) — for most apps, Helicarrier detects the language and framework and builds a production image with no configuration. Node, Python, Go, Ruby, PHP, static frameworks, and more are recognized out of the box.
  • Dockerfile — if your repo has a Dockerfile, Helicarrier uses it. Point at a custom path in build settings if it lives somewhere other than the root.

Either way, the build runs on managed build infrastructure — you do not provision anything.

Under the service’s build settings you can fine-tune:

  • Root directory — build a subfolder of a monorepo.
  • Install / build / start commands — override the detected commands.
  • Release command — a pre-deploy step (for example, database migrations) that runs before the new version takes traffic.

See Build & runtime settings for the details.

Enable auto-deploy on the service, and every push to the connected branch triggers a new deployment. Helicarrier verifies the GitHub push webhook, builds the new commit, and rolls it out with a health check — no manual step needed. Each deployment records the commit SHA and message so you can see exactly what shipped.

You can turn auto-deploy off to deploy manually, and you can always trigger a deploy by hand from the service.