Port-Au-Next

No-downtime multi-tenant Next.js self-hosting manager.

Installation

Install Port-Au-Next on your own infrastructure, use a VPS or a closet PC and easily launch your Next.js projects with zero downtime deployments.

Prerequisites:

Docker and Docker Compose installed on your system
Git installed
SSH keys configured with GitHub (for automatic deployments)

Installation steps:

git clone github.com/cfpg/port-au-next

cd port-au-next

Configuration:

Create a .env file in the root directory with the following variables:

POSTGRES_USER=portaunext

POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your_secure_password

POSTGRES_DB=portaunext

THUMBOR_SECURITY_KEY=your_secure_key

Launch:

docker compose up --build -d

Once running, access the deployment manager at http://localhost:80 to add and manage your Next.js applications.

What is included?

Port-Au-Next installs the following shared infrastructure resources as part of your Docker environment:

PostgreSQL - Used by the deployment-manager to keep track of applications and deployments, and available to deployed apps each with their own database and user.
Redis - Configure your Next.js app to use redis as a cache handler to maintain cached objects between deploys.
Nginx - Used as a reverse proxy to direct traffic between your deployed applications.
Thumbor - Intended to be used as a custom image loader inside your Next.js application.

Environment Variables

Each deployed application container automatically receives the following environment variables to connect to shared services:

POSTGRES_USER=app_specific_user

POSTGRES_PASSWORD=app_specific_password

POSTGRES_DB=app_specific_database

POSTGRES_HOST=postgres

THUMBOR_HOST=thumbor

REDIS_URL=redis_url

This allows your applications to connect to the shared infrastructure without additional configuration. Each application receives its own database user, password, and database name for proper isolation and security.

Deployment Manager UI

Additionally, we provide a comprehensive web UI to add applications, manage deployments, and monitor your infrastructure:

Application Management

Add, remove, and update applications with an intuitive interface

Deployment History

Track all deployments with detailed logs and status information

Environment Variables

Manage environment variables per application and branch

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Port-Au-Next with frameworks other than Next.js?

While Port-Au-Next is optimized for Next.js applications, you can use it with other Node.js frameworks by providing your own Dockerfile. The zero-downtime deployment strategy and multi-tenancy features will still work, but you may need to adjust your application's configuration to integrate with the available shared services.

Does Port-Au-Next support automatic SSL certificate generation?

Yes, Port-Au-Next integrates with Let's Encrypt to automatically generate and renew SSL certificates for your domains. Simply enable SSL in the domain settings for your application, and Port-Au-Next will handle certificate generation and renewal behind the scenes.

Can I integrate Port-Au-Next with my CI/CD pipeline?

Yes, Port-Au-Next provides a REST API that you can integrate with your existing CI/CD pipeline. You can trigger deployments programmatically by sending a POST request to the deployment endpoint. We also provide GitHub Actions integration out of the box, allowing you to trigger deployments automatically when pushing to specific branches.

Is Port-Au-Next suitable for high-traffic applications?

Port-Au-Next is designed to scale with your needs. For high-traffic applications, you can allocate more resources to specific application containers. The blue/green deployment strategy ensures that even high-traffic applications can be updated without downtime. For extremely high-traffic scenarios, you can set up a cluster of Port-Au-Next instances behind a load balancer.

About

Port-Au-Next was born from a simple yet powerful idea: developers should have the freedom to deploy their Next.js applications on their own terms. In a world where cloud providers often lock you into their ecosystems with increasing costs, we wanted to create a solution that puts control back in the developers' hands.

Our platform enables quick, easy, and cost-effective self-hosting of Next.js applications. No more vendor lock-in, no more unexpected billing surprises - just straightforward deployment on your own infrastructure.

Created by Carlos F. Peña