Templates - FlatRun Docs

Templates are pre-configured deployment blueprints that allow you to deploy popular applications and services with minimal configuration. Each template includes a docker-compose file, metadata, and sensible defaults.

How Templates Work

When you create a deployment from a template, FlatRun:

Copies the template's docker-compose configuration
Substitutes variables with your provided values (name, domain, ports)
Generates any required configuration files (.env, config files)
Creates the deployment directory with all necessary files
Optionally starts the deployment automatically

Template Structure

Each template consists of two files:

metadata.yml

Describes the template and its configuration options:

id: wordpress
name: WordPress
description: Popular open-source content management system
category: applications
icon: pi-globe
logo: /logos/wordpress.svg
priority: 1

container_port: 80

mounts:
  - id: app
    name: Application Data
    container_path: /var/www/html
    description: Mount the entire WordPress installation
  - id: uploads
    name: Media Uploads
    container_path: /var/www/html/wp-content/uploads
    description: Mount only media uploads

docker-compose.yml

The compose file uses variable placeholders like ${NAME} that are replaced at deployment time.

Template Categories

Category	Description	Examples
`applications`	Full-featured web applications	WordPress, Ghost
`frameworks`	Development frameworks	Laravel, Next.js, Astro
`runtimes`	Language runtimes	Node.js, PHP
`databases`	Database servers	MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB
`infrastructure`	System infrastructure	Nginx, Redis
`basic`	Simple setups	Static Site

Variable Substitution

Templates support the following variables that are replaced at deployment time:

Variable	Description
`NAME`	Deployment name
`PORT`	External port number
`DOMAIN`	Domain name (if configured)
`DB_HOST`	Database host
`DB_NAME`	Database name
`DB_USER`	Database username
`DB_PASSWORD`	Database password

Mount Points

Mount points define how the deployment's data is persisted. Each mount point specifies a path inside the container that can be bound to a directory on the host.

Full mount — Mounts the entire application directory
Partial mount — Mounts only specific subdirectories (uploads, plugins, etc.)
No mount — Uses container storage (data lost on container removal)

Built-in Templates

FlatRun includes the following built-in templates:

Applications

WordPress — Popular CMS with database support
Ghost — Modern publishing platform

Frameworks

Laravel — PHP web framework
Next.js — React framework for production
Astro — Content-driven static site builder

Runtimes

Node.js — JavaScript runtime
PHP — PHP with Apache

Databases

MySQL — Popular relational database
MariaDB — MySQL-compatible database
PostgreSQL — Advanced relational database

Infrastructure

Nginx — Web server and reverse proxy
Redis — In-memory data store

Basic

Static Site — Simple HTML/CSS/JS hosting

Using Templates via API

List available templates and deploy from them:

# List templates
curl -X GET http://localhost:8090/api/templates \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN"

# Create deployment from template
curl -X POST http://localhost:8090/api/deployments \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d 'see API docs for request body'