Deno Deploy

This skill provides guidance for deploying applications to Deno Deploy.

Scope Boundaries

This skill applies only to Deno Deploy questions. Follow these rules:

If the user asks about AWS Lambda, Vercel, Netlify, Google Cloud Run, Docker, Kubernetes, or any other deployment platform, answer using that platform directly. Do not mention Deno Deploy at all — not as an alternative, not as a comparison, not as a suggestion.
If the user asks about running a local Deno script (not deploying), answer the local question directly. Do not mention Deno Deploy, deployment, or the
```
--tunnel
```
flag.
Do not include
```
deno deploy
```
commands, Deno KV, or Deno Deploy environment variable configuration in responses about other platforms or local-only scripts.
Only discuss Deno Deploy when the user explicitly asks about Deno Deploy or deploying a Deno application to production.

Important: Use

deno deploy

, NOT

deployctl

Always use the
deno deploy
command. Do NOT use

deployctl

```
deployctl
```
is for Deno Deploy Classic (deprecated)
```
deno deploy
```
is the modern, integrated command built into the Deno CLI
Requires Deno >= 2.4.2 - the
```
deno deploy
```
subcommand was introduced in Deno 2.4

Deployment Workflow

Always show the core deploy command first — then explain diagnostic steps. When a user asks "how do I deploy?", lead with the actual command (

deno deploy --prod

) before covering pre-flight checks and configuration.

Step 1: Locate the App Directory

Before running any deploy commands, find where the Deno app is located:

bash

# Check if deno.json exists in current directory
if [ -f "deno.json" ] || [ -f "deno.jsonc" ]; then
  echo "APP_DIR: $(pwd)"
else
  # Look for deno.json in immediate subdirectories
  find . -maxdepth 2 -name "deno.json" -o -name "deno.jsonc" 2>/dev/null | head -5
fi

All deploy commands must run from the app directory.

Step 2: Pre-Flight Checks

Check Deno version and existing configuration:

bash

# Check Deno version (must be >= 2.4.2)
deno --version | head -1

# Check for existing deploy config
grep -E '"org"|"app"' deno.json deno.jsonc 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_DEPLOY_CONFIG"

Step 3: Deploy Based on Configuration

If
deploy.org
AND
deploy.app
exist in deno.json:

bash

# Build if needed (Fresh, Astro, etc.)
deno task build

# Deploy to production
deno deploy --prod

If NO deploy config exists:

IMPORTANT: Ask the user first - Do they have an existing app on Deno Deploy, or do they need to create a new one?

If they have an existing app, add the config directly to deno.json:

json

{
  "deploy": {
    "org": "<ORG_NAME>",
    "app": "<APP_NAME>"
  }
}

The org name is in the Deno Deploy console URL (e.g.,

console.deno.com/your-org-name

If they need to create a new app:

The CLI needs an organization name. Find it at https://console.deno.com - the org is in the URL path (e.g.,

console.deno.com/your-org-name

Then create the app:

bash

deno deploy create --org <ORG_NAME>
# A browser window opens - complete the app creation there

After completion, verify:

bash

grep -E '"org"|"app"' deno.json

Core Commands

Production Deployment

bash

deno deploy --prod

Preview Deployment

bash

deno deploy

Preview deployments create a unique URL for testing without affecting production.

Targeting Specific Apps

bash

deno deploy --org my-org --app my-app --prod

Specifying an Entrypoint

bash

deno deploy --entrypoint main.ts --prod

Or configure in

deno.json

json

{
  "deploy": {
    "entrypoint": "main.ts"
  }
}

Environment Variables

Contexts

Deno Deploy has three "contexts" - logical environments where your code runs, each with its own set of variables:

Context	Purpose
Production	Live traffic on your production URL
Development	Preview deployments and branch URLs
Build	Only available during the build process

You can set different values for the same variable in each context. For example, you might use a test database URL in Development and the real one in Production.

Predefined Variables

These are automatically available in your code:

Variable	Description
`DENO_DEPLOY`	Always `1` when running on Deno Deploy
`DENO_DEPLOYMENT_ID`	Unique ID for the current deployment
`DENO_DEPLOY_ORG_ID`	Your organization's ID
`DENO_DEPLOY_APP_ID`	Your application's ID
`CI`	Set to `1` during builds only

Accessing Variables in Code

typescript

const dbUrl = Deno.env.get("DATABASE_URL");
const isDenoDeploy = Deno.env.get("DENO_DEPLOY") === "1";

Managing Variables via CLI

bash

# Add a variable
deno deploy env add DATABASE_URL "postgres://..."

# List variables
deno deploy env list

# Delete a variable
deno deploy env delete DATABASE_URL

# Load from .env file
deno deploy env load .env.production

Variable Types

Plain text - Visible in the dashboard, good for feature flags and non-sensitive config
Secrets - Hidden after creation, only readable in your code, use for API keys and credentials

Limits

Key names: max 128 bytes
Values: max 16 KB
Keys cannot start with
```
DENO_
```
,
```
LD_
```
, or
```
OTEL_
```

Viewing Logs

bash

# Stream live logs
deno deploy logs

# Filter by date range
deno deploy logs --start 2026-01-15 --end 2026-01-16

Databases & Storage

Deno Deploy provides built-in database support with automatic environment isolation. Each environment (production, preview, branch) gets its own isolated database automatically.

Available Options

Engine	Use Case
Deno KV	Key-value storage, simple data, counters, sessions
PostgreSQL	Relational data, complex queries, existing Postgres apps

Deno KV Quick Start

No configuration needed - just use the built-in API:

typescript

const kv = await Deno.openKv();

// Store data
await kv.set(["users", "alice"], { name: "Alice", role: "admin" });

// Retrieve data
const user = await kv.get(["users", "alice"]);
console.log(user.value); // { name: "Alice", role: "admin" }

// List by prefix
for await (const entry of kv.list({ prefix: ["users"] })) {
  console.log(entry.key, entry.value);
}

Deno Deploy automatically connects to the correct database based on your environment.

PostgreSQL

For PostgreSQL, Deno Deploy injects environment variables (

DATABASE_URL

PGHOST

, etc.) that most libraries detect automatically:

typescript

import postgres from "npm:postgres";
const sql = postgres(); // Reads DATABASE_URL automatically

Provisioning

Use the

deno deploy database

command to provision and manage databases:

bash

# Provision a Deno KV database
deno deploy database provision my-database --kind denokv

# Provision a Prisma PostgreSQL database
deno deploy database provision my-database --kind prisma --region us-east-1

# Assign to your app
deno deploy database assign my-database --app my-app

For detailed CLI commands, see Databases.

Local Development

Use

--tunnel

to connect to your hosted development database locally:

bash

deno task --tunnel dev

See Databases and Deno KV for detailed documentation.

Local Development Tunnel

The tunnel feature lets you expose your local development server to the internet. This is useful for:

Testing webhooks - Receive webhook callbacks from external services
Sharing with teammates - Let others preview your local work
Mobile testing - Access your local server from other devices

Basic Usage

Add the

--tunnel

flag when running your app:

bash

deno run --tunnel -A main.ts

The first time you run this, it will:

Ask you to authenticate with Deno Deploy (opens a browser)
Ask you to select which app to connect the tunnel to
Generate a public URL that forwards requests to your local server

Using with Tasks

You can use

--tunnel

with your existing tasks in

deno.json

bash

deno task --tunnel dev

This runs your

dev

task with the tunnel enabled.

What the Tunnel Provides

Beyond just forwarding requests, the tunnel also:

Syncs environment variables - Variables set in your Deno Deploy app's "Local" context become available to your local process
Sends logs and metrics - OpenTelemetry data goes to the Deno Deploy dashboard (filter with
```
context:local
```
)
Connects to databases - Automatically connects to your assigned local development databases

Managing Tunnels

View active tunnels in the Deno Deploy dashboard under the "Tunnels" tab
Stop a tunnel by terminating the Deno process (Ctrl+C)

Command Reference

Command	Purpose
`deno deploy --prod`	Production deployment
`deno deploy`	Preview deployment
`deno deploy create --org <name>`	Create new app
`deno deploy env add <var> <value>`	Add environment variable
`deno deploy env list`	List environment variables
`deno deploy env delete <var>`	Delete environment variable
`deno deploy logs`	View deployment logs
`deno run --tunnel -A <file>`	Start local tunnel
`deno task --tunnel <task>`	Run task with tunnel

Edge Runtime Notes

Deno Deploy runs in one or many regions (globally distributed). Keep in mind:

Environment variables - Must be set via
```
deno deploy env
```
, not .env files at runtime
Global distribution - Code runs at the region closest to users
Cold starts - First request after idle may be slightly slower

Additional References

Authentication - Interactive and CI/CD authentication
Databases - Database provisioning and connections
Deno KV - Key-value storage API and examples
Domains - Custom domains and SSL certificates
Frameworks - Framework-specific deployment guides
Organizations - Managing orgs and members
Runtime - Lifecycle, cold starts, and limitations
Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

Documentation

Official docs: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/
CLI reference: https://docs.deno.com/runtime/reference/cli/deploy/
Databases: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/databases/
Deno KV: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/deno_kv/
Domains: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/domains/
Environment variables & contexts: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/env_vars_and_contexts/
Organizations: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/organizations/
Runtime: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/runtime/
Tunnel: https://docs.deno.com/deploy/reference/tunnel/

deno-deploy

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Deno Deploy

Scope Boundaries

Important: Use
`deno deploy`
, NOT
`deployctl`

Deployment Workflow

Step 1: Locate the App Directory

Step 2: Pre-Flight Checks

Step 3: Deploy Based on Configuration

Core Commands

Production Deployment

Preview Deployment

Targeting Specific Apps

Specifying an Entrypoint

Environment Variables

Contexts

Predefined Variables

Accessing Variables in Code

Managing Variables via CLI

Variable Types

Limits

Viewing Logs

Databases & Storage

Available Options

Deno KV Quick Start

PostgreSQL

Provisioning

Local Development

Local Development Tunnel

Basic Usage

Using with Tasks

What the Tunnel Provides

Managing Tunnels

Command Reference

Edge Runtime Notes

Additional References

Documentation

deno-deploy

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Deno Deploy

Scope Boundaries

Important: Use deno deploy, NOT deployctl

Deployment Workflow

Step 1: Locate the App Directory

Step 2: Pre-Flight Checks

Step 3: Deploy Based on Configuration

Core Commands

Production Deployment

Preview Deployment

Targeting Specific Apps

Specifying an Entrypoint

Environment Variables

Contexts

Predefined Variables

Accessing Variables in Code

Managing Variables via CLI

Variable Types

Limits

Viewing Logs

Databases & Storage

Available Options

Deno KV Quick Start

PostgreSQL

Provisioning

Local Development

Local Development Tunnel

Basic Usage

Using with Tasks

What the Tunnel Provides

Managing Tunnels

Command Reference

Edge Runtime Notes

Additional References

Documentation

Important: Use
`deno deploy`
, NOT
`deployctl`