What is an application
An application is a workload that Coolify deploys and manages as one or more Docker containers on a connected server.
You provide a Git repository, Dockerfile, or image reference. A Git repository can also contain a Docker Compose definition. Coolify coordinates image preparation, runtime configuration, domains, health checks, logs, and lifecycle actions.
What an application includes
| Part | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Deployment input | A Git repository, a Dockerfile entered without Git, or an existing Docker image reference. A Git repository can use Docker Compose as its build pack. |
| Build method | How Coolify prepares required images from Git source. Most methods build one image; Docker Compose can build or pull an image for each service. Docker Image applications skip this stage. |
| Runtime configuration | Environment variables, domains, ports, networks, storage, health checks, and resource limits. |
| Deployment history | The queued and completed operations that build or pull images, apply runtime configuration, and start containers. |
| Operations | Logs, terminal access, backups, rollbacks, metrics, tags, and lifecycle actions. |
What Coolify manages
Coolify stores the application configuration and coordinates Docker on the selected server. Depending on the deployment method, Coolify can:
- clone a Git repository
- build or pull Docker images
- create runtime environment files
- attach networks and persistent storage
- configure proxy routing for application domains
- start, stop, restart, and replace containers
- record deployment status and logs
The connected server, Docker daemon, DNS records, firewall, application data, and external services remain part of your infrastructure.
Before deploying
Make sure:
- Coolify has a validated deployment server
- the Coolify proxy is running when the application needs a domain
- the source or image can be accessed by Coolify
- you know which port the application listens on
- persistent data has an explicit storage and backup plan
Follow Deploy your first app if you want to verify deployments before connecting your own source.
Continue learning
How applications work
Follow the path from source code or an image to a running container.
Choose a deployment method
Choose between Git source, a Dockerfile without Git, Git-based Docker Compose, and an existing image.
Coming from a managed platform
Map managed-platform concepts to Coolify and your own server.