Openship

Open-source, self-hostable deployment platform with built-in CI/CD.

Point it at a repo — it builds, ships, routes, and TLS-terminates your app. Drive it from a desktop app, web dashboard, or CLI.

Quick Start ·
How It Works ·
Interfaces ·
Docs ·
Contributing

Quick Start

There's one decision to make first: how you run Openship itself (the control plane). Everything else is the same afterwards.

| If you're… | Run Openship as | Where your apps run |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, one machine, no ops | Desktop app | A server you connect over SSH, or Openship Cloud |
| A team — or you want push-to-deploy / to host apps on your own box | Self-hosted server (openship up) | On that box (Compose mode) — or out to another server / Cloud (bare mode) |
| Not interested in running anything | Openship Cloud | Managed sandboxes, zero setup |

> [!TIP]
> Solo? Use the desktop app. It runs Openship's control plane on your own machine only while the app is open — nothing is left running on an always-on server, nothing is exposed publicly. You only need an always-on server install once you want push-to-deploy (CI/CD), team access, or to host apps on that box — the things that need a public, always-on endpoint.

Solo — desktop app

The control plane runs locally and drives your servers over SSH. No login, no terminal, no public surface — download, open, done:

| Platform | Download |
|---|---|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | Openship-arm64.dmg |
| macOS (Intel) | Openship-x64.dmg |
| Windows | Openship-win32-x64.zip |
| Linux | Openship.AppImage |

Linux: chmod +x Openship.AppImage && ./Openship.AppImage. Already have the CLI? openship install fetches and launches it. Links always point at the newest release.

From the desktop app you connect a server (SSH) or Openship Cloud and deploy to it — the app itself doesn't host public apps on your laptop.

Team / always-on — self-hosted server

Install the CLI (it bundles the API + dashboard), then run openship — an interactive wizard creates the first admin, wires your domain, and installs Openship as a boot service. Run it again anytime to manage the instance.

curl -fsSL https://get.openship.io | sh          # install  (or: npm i -g openship)
openship                                          # guided setup, then control panel

For CI / headless boxes, skip the wizard and drive openship up directly:

openship up                                       # install + start as a background service (boots + auto-restarts)
openship up --public-url https://openship.example.com   # + serve the dashboard on your domain (edge + TLS handled)

openship up picks how it runs for you:

• On Linux with Docker → Compose mode (the default). Brings up the full stack — Postgres, Redis, API, dashboard, and a containerized OpenResty edge on :80/:443 — from published images. This is the flavor that hosts your deployed apps on the same box, with automatic domains + Let's Encrypt TLS. Force it with --compose.
• Everywhere else → bare mode (macOS, Windows, or Linux without Docker). A single lightweight process with an embedded database — an always-on control plane that deploys apps out to a server (SSH) or Cloud, like the desktop app but always on and login-required. Force it with --bare.

A self-hosted instance always requires login (the admin you create in setup). openship open opens the dashboard · openship stop stops it · openship update upgrades · openship up --foreground runs attached.

> Preview an unreleased build (dev). To run the CLI built straight from source — a branch, tag, or main ahead of the next release — install the from-source build:
>
>

> curl -fsSL https://get.openship.io/dev | sh     # or: OPENSHIP_REF=my-branch curl ... | sh
> openship-dev                                     # same CLI, built from source
> openship-dev update                              # pull latest source + rebuild (no release needed)
>

Deploy a project:

cd your-project
openship init            # link this directory to a project
openship deploy

Full server guide + complete CLI reference: openship.io/docs.

git clone https://github.com/oblien/openship.git && cd openship
cp .env.example .env          # then edit
docker compose --env-file .env -f docker/docker-compose.yml up -d

How It Works

Point Openship at a source — a GitHub repo, a local folder, or a prebuilt artifact — and it runs one pipeline end to end:

1. Detect. It reads your package.json, framework config, lockfiles, and any docker-compose.yml / openship.json to work out the stack, package manager, build/start commands, and port. Zero config files required; an openship.json overrides the guesses if you want control.
2. Build. On the target server or locally on the orchestrator, into a Docker image or a bare release. The resolved config is frozen into a snapshot, so redeploys and rollbacks re-run exactly what shipped.
3. Run. As a container (published on loopback only — never a public port) or a supervised host process.
4. Route + secure. The OpenResty edge writes a reverse-proxy vhost to your domain and issues a Let's Encrypt certificate (HTTP-01). Because routing and TLS happen after the app is up, a DNS or cert hiccup surfaces as "action required" — it never fails the deploy or takes your app down.
5. Push-to-deploy. A GitHub webhook re-runs the pipeline on every push to the tracked branch — rebuilding only the services a monorepo push actually touched.

Databases, domains, SSL, CDN, mail, and backups are managed from the same place. (Push-to-deploy and public domains need an always-on server or Cloud — a desktop/loopback instance has no public endpoint to receive webhooks.)

Interfaces

Three ways to drive the same backend:

• Desktop app — full GUI, real-time logs, one-click everything. Best for solo.
• Web dashboard — the same UI in the browser, built for teams.
• CLI — scriptable and CI-friendly; also how you install and manage a self-hosted instance.

An MCP endpoint (for AI agents) and a REST API round it out for automation. Only routes that opt in are exposed as MCP tools, every call re-checks your permissions, and credential/token routes can never become tools. Full reference at openship.io/docs.

> [!NOTE]
> The docs are actively being filled out. If something's missing or unclear, contributions are hugely welcome.

Features

| | |
|---|---|
| Built-in CI/CD | Push-to-deploy, preview environments, staging/prod flows, rollbacks |
| Any stack | Node, Python, Go, Rust, PHP, Ruby, Java, .NET, Docker, monorepos |
| Full backend | Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, workers, WebSockets, storage |
| Domains & SSL | Automatic Let's Encrypt, wildcards, unlimited domains, auto-renewal |
| CDN | Edge caching, HTTP/3, Brotli compression, instant purge |
| Mail server | Built-in SMTP with DKIM/SPF/DMARC — no Mailgun or SES needed |
| Backups | Scheduled, databases + volumes, one-click restore, export anytime |
| Real-time monitoring | Live build logs, container metrics, and resource usage streamed to your screen |
| Scaling | Auto-scaling on cloud, multi-node ready on self-hosted |
| Portability | Standard Docker containers — move between providers freely |
| Docker Compose | Deploy existing compose files as-is |

Deploy Anywhere

• Openship Cloud — managed, auto-scaling, zero setup
• Any VPS — Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Linode, OVH, and the rest
• Dedicated servers — bare metal, colo, homelab
• Multi-server — spread workloads across machines

Same interface regardless of where you deploy.

Status

Production-ready core, actively developed. Self-hosting is free (no billing).

Coming next: multi-node clusters, load-balancing UI, private networking, advanced monitoring, and visual CI/CD pipelines.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

Releasing

Cut a release with the version script — it syncs every package's version,
commits the bump, tags vX.Y.Z, and pushes:

bun scripts/release.ts 0.2.0        # explicit version
# or a bump keyword: patch | minor | major | rc   (minor from 0.1.x → 0.2.0)

Pushing the tag triggers <code class="ra0-md-code">.github/workflows/release.yml</code>, which:

• builds the macOS / Windows / Linux installers and the server tarballs (with SHA-256 sidecars),
• publishes the openship CLI to npm — via npm OIDC trusted publishing (no token), and
• creates the GitHub Release with the built assets (notes come from the tag).

Official Docker images (ghcr.io/oblien/openship-{api,dashboard,edge}) publish from
<code class="ra0-md-code">.github/workflows/docker-images.yml</code> — on a version tag, or on demand with bun scripts/release.ts docker.

To flag a release as critical (or add recommended/info advisories) in the
in-app updater, add an entry to <code class="ra0-md-code">release-advisories.json</code>
before tagging — clients pull it pinned to the release tag. High-level notes
live in <code class="ra0-md-code">CHANGELOG.md</code>.

Security

Found a vulnerability? We welcome your report — please disclose it privately,
never in a public issue, PR, or discussion.

• Report it here (preferred): Report a vulnerability — a private GitHub advisory, visible only to you and the maintainers.
• Scope, what to include, and our response/disclosure process: SECURITY.md.

Good-faith security research is authorized under our
safe-harbor policy, and we're happy to credit valid
first reports.

⭐ Star History

License

Openship is open-source software, licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

You may use, run, modify, self-host, and distribute it — including in commercial
and closed-source products — under the terms of the Apache 2.0 license. See
LICENSE for the full text.