Configure build and start for Nuxt

Summary

Configure build and start for a Nuxt app on Ample. nuxt build produces .output; start it with node .output/server/index.mjs, which reads PORT and binds all interfaces. Ample detects the runtime, installs dependencies, runs the build when present and starts the app on the node-22 template behind a public HTTPS URL.

Infrastructure requirements

• Compute: verified (Apps run in isolated x86_64 Firecracker microVMs that auto-pause when idle and wake on request; sizes are the priced VM sizes.)

Prerequisites

• A package.json with build and start scripts
• A server that listens on process.env.PORT and 0.0.0.0
• An Ample account token with servers:write

Exact tested configuration

• template: node-22
• runtime: node
• size: s-1vcpu-1gb
• install: npm install
• build: npm run build --if-present
• start: npm run start

Steps

1. Make the start command bind correctly. nuxt build produces .output; start it with node .output/server/index.mjs, which reads PORT and binds all interfaces.

2. Deploy. Run the existing synchronous deploy once from the project directory and read the result. Exit 0 is live, 1 is failed, 2 is blocked on a required preflight action. Re-running with no change is a content-addressed no-op.

   ample deploy . --name <app-name> --public --format json
   

3. Verify. Fetch the live URL and run the success checks below. On failure read the build log, then the runtime log, fix the cause and deploy again; do not blind-retry.

   ample logs <deployment_id> --kind build
   

Tested examples

• nuxt-basic canary (tests/deploy-canaries/nuxt-basic): Nuxt app with nuxt build and the Nitro node server.

Success checks

• page or root route responds (/ on the live URL, expect ample canary nuxt basic)

Limitations

• Verified on the node-22 template at s-1vcpu-1gb; other templates and sizes are not verified by this recipe.
• Region, compliance attestations and request-duration limits are unknown and not claimed.
• Apps auto-pause when idle and wake on the next request; always-on is an operator setting, not a plan feature.
• Nuxt 3 was tested; Nitro presets other than node-server are not verified.

Cost estimate

Estimated 5.00 USD per month (size prices from pricing.toml at build revision a1b8c38919e59cd035ebabaced73cf84ece24371).

• app server x1 s-1vcpu-1gb: 5.00 USD

Apps and managed databases auto-pause when idle; the estimate is the always-on monthly price of the tested sizes. Plan quotas and budgets apply.

Verification evidence

• canary_run on 2026-09-20T00:22:15Z at revision 1764076-tls-account-903d345: Nuxt app (nuxt build, node .output/server/index.mjs) deployed on node-22 and rendered the expected page. (expires 2027-03-19T00:22:15Z)

Execution binding

MCP tool ample_deploy (registry mcp:ample_deploy), schema hash 876465fce906da0c observed 2026-09-20T01:55:48.667900+00:00 at revision 199ff1dfd526, binding state current, required scopes: servers:write.