strapi-deploy - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: strapi-deploy description: 'Use when deploying a Strapi v5 backend: Strapi Cloud via the CLI, or self-hosting with NODE_ENV=production build/start, pm2, env vars, and a production database.' tags: [strapi, deployment, strapi-cloud, self-host, pm2]

Strapi Deploy

Deploy a Strapi v5 project to Strapi Cloud or your own server.

Use This Skill For

Deploying to Strapi Cloud from the CLI
Self-hosting: production build, start, process management, env config
Moving content between environments

Prerequisites

A built project (npm run build) that runs locally
For Cloud: a Strapi Cloud account and the project-local strapi CLI
For self-host: Node.js LTS on the server, a production database, and a process manager (pm2 recommended)

Option A: Strapi Cloud

npm run strapi login     # or: yarn strapi login
npm run strapi deploy

Cloud handles the build, database, and hosting. Use this when you want the fastest path and do not need to manage infrastructure.

Option B: Self-Host

1. Configure for production

Set production env vars (never commit them): NODE_ENV=production, APP_KEYS, API_TOKEN_SALT, ADMIN_JWT_SECRET, JWT_SECRET, and the database connection (DATABASE_*). Point config/database.ts at a real database (PostgreSQL/MySQL), not SQLite, for production.

2. Build

NODE_ENV=production npm run build      # or: yarn build

On Windows, wrap with cross-env: cross-env NODE_ENV=production npm run build.

3. Start

NODE_ENV=production npm run start      # or: yarn start

4. Keep it running with pm2

npm install -g pm2
pm2 start npm --name strapi -- run start
pm2 save
pm2 startup            # generate the boot script

Put a reverse proxy (nginx/Traefik) in front for TLS. If you self-host on Coolify, the coolify skill covers the container + proxy + env workflow.

Moving Content Between Environments

# back up before deploy
npm run strapi export -- --file backup.tar.gz

# or stream straight to another instance
npm run strapi transfer -- --to https://prod.example.com/admin

Rules

Production runs with NODE_ENV=production; SQLite is for local dev only.
All secrets come from env on the server, never the repo.
Build before start; a stale or missing admin build serves a broken panel.
Export (or transfer) as a backup before every production deploy.

Next Step

After deploy, verify the live API with strapi-content-api, or wire the production MCP endpoint with strapi-mcp-setup.