Build and run

Create a production binary, apply migrations, and start the result locally or on a server.

A Ridu build produces one executable in dist/. The executable contains the Go server, API, workers, generated schema, migration-history fingerprint, and compiled admin.

Build your app

From the project root, run:

terminal

ridu build

For a project named my-app, the last line is:

output

Built dist/my-app

New projects already contain an initial migration. If an older project has no files in migrations/, create its first artifact and try the build again:

terminal

ridu migrate create --name initial
ridu build

Review and commit the new *.ridu.json file. Future schema changes need a new migration before ridu build will accept them.

Before a release, run the broader checks and replay the migration history:

terminal

ridu check
ridu migrate verify
ridu build

SQLite verification uses a temporary database and needs no path. PostgreSQL and MongoDB verification need DATABASE_URL because they create an isolated shadow schema or database.

Apply migrations and start

The binary checks that the target database has the exact migration history used during the build. Apply pending migrations before starting it.

Choose the target database below. SQLite needs an absolute path so the migration command and server open the same file. PostgreSQL needs its production connection URL.

terminal

export RIDU_SQLITE_PATH="$PWD/.ridu/production.sqlite"

ridu migrate plan
ridu migrate up
ridu migrate status
./dist/my-app

terminal

export DATABASE_URL='postgres://user:password@host/database?sslmode=verify-full'

ridu migrate plan
ridu migrate up
ridu migrate status
./dist/my-app

The generated start package script runs the same binary, so bun run start, npm run start, pnpm run start, or yarn start is convenient when testing on the build machine. A production image only needs dist/my-app, trusted certificates, and its environment variables.

The server listens on :8080 by default. Set RIDU_ADDRESS when you control the full address, or set PORT when a hosting platform assigns the port:

terminal

RIDU_ADDRESS=':3000' ./dist/my-app

Choose another output path

Use --output when a deployment expects a particular filename:

terminal

ridu build --output ./dist/server
./dist/server

The output path may be relative to the project or absolute. Ridu writes a temporary executable and only replaces the destination after the complete build succeeds.

Fix a failed first build

migration artifact history is empty: run ridu migrate create --name initial, review the generated file, then build again.
ridu migrate plan needs a SQLite database: set RIDU_SQLITE_PATH to an absolute path or pass --database-path <path>.
Startup reports pending or mismatched migrations: run ridu migrate status, restore the committed artifacts if they changed, then run ridu migrate up.
A binary made with go build refuses to start: use ridu build; it embeds the migration fingerprint and admin assets.
The host cannot connect to the server: set PORT or RIDU_ADDRESS, and configure its health check to use /readyz.

Continue with the Railway guide for a concrete hosted deployment, or the production overview for security, health checks, backups, and rollout rules.