Server types

Every server has a type, chosen when you create it. The type limits which software can be installed and what the server can host.

Types

Type	Value	Description	Hosts sites	Serves HTTP	Software you can pick
App server	app	All-in-one: PHP, Node, database and cache on one machine	✓	✓	PHP, Node, database, cache, Docker
Web server	web	Serves sites behind Caddy / FrankenPHP; database and cache live elsewhere	✓	✓	PHP, Node, Docker
Database server	db	Dedicated database engine			Database
Cache server	cache	Dedicated Redis / Valkey			Cache
Worker server	worker	Queue workers, daemons and scheduled tasks; no public web traffic	✓		PHP, Node, Docker
Load balancer	lb	Caddy load balancer in front of web servers		✓	none
Builder	builder	Builds releases and images (Railpack / BuildKit) for other servers			Node, Docker

Software options

Component	Options
PHP runtime	FrankenPHP (default) or PHP-FPM
PHP versions	8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 (default), 8.5
Node.js	20, 22 (default), 24
Database	PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB (Ubuntu packages); can also be installed later on an app server
Cache	Redis or Valkey
Docker	Docker Engine with Compose v2 and Buildx

Firewall defaults

• All types: SSH (22) allowed.
• Types that serve HTTP (app, web, lb): also 80 and 443.
• Everything else is dropped.

Recommended layouts

Stage	Layout
Side project	1 × app (sites + database + cache)
Small production	1 × app or web + 1 × db
Growing	2+ × web + 1 × lb + 1 × db + 1 × cache + 1 × worker
Docker/Compose builds	add 1 × builder with Docker

Keep the control plane on its own host in every layout.

Changing a type

The type is chosen at creation. To change it, create a new server of the right type, move sites to it (Settings → Servers), and delete the old one.

Next steps

ProvisioningWhat each type gets installed.

Load balancersPut an lb server in front of web servers.