Settings and maintenance

Inspect the service

On the server:

sudo systemctl status jakeloud
sudo journalctl -u jakeloud -n 100 --no-pager

For application output, open a project and use Update status under Status / Logs, or ask your agent for its status. The API returns up to the last 64 KiB of the current release’s log.

Jakeloud keeps configuration and project data under /app, including /app/conf.json and its SSH key pair. Back up this directory along with your applications’ external data and server configuration.

Telegram notifications

The dashboard owner can open Settings → Telegram Integration, enter a Chat ID and Bot Token, and select Update Telegram Settings. The backend uses these settings for deployment-start, release-failure, and cache-clearing notifications. Treat the bot token as a secret.

Clear Docker cache

Settings → Docker Cache → Clear Cache runs docker system prune -af on the server. This affects unused Docker resources across the host, including stopped containers, unused images, networks, and build cache. It can make subsequent builds slower. Review what else uses Docker on the host before running it.

Update Jakeloud

Back up /app and application data, and download the replacement binary into a separate directory. Stop the service before running the new installer:

sudo systemctl stop jakeloud
chmod +x jl
sudo ./jl
sudo systemctl status jakeloud

Stopping Jakeloud stops its tracked release processes. On startup it redeploys saved projects from their repositories. Plan for this to affect running applications and to fetch newer repository contents.

Build from source

To build the current source with Docker:

git clone https://github.com/jakeloud/jl.git
cd jl
docker build --tag=jl --file=build.Dockerfile .
docker create --name jlc jl
docker cp jlc:/app/jl ./jl
docker rm jlc

The build includes the frontend and produces a Linux executable. Build for the target server’s architecture. Copy the resulting jl to the server, then follow the installation or update steps above.

Common deployment problems

Problem	Where to look
Dashboard never becomes available	Check the systemd journal, public DNS, Nginx configuration, and inbound ports 80/443.
Clone fails	Check the repository URL and the instance’s SSH key access.
docker: not found or runtime missing	Install the tools used by the project’s command on the server.
Release exits immediately	Keep its command in the foreground; inspect the release log for build or startup errors.
Domain returns a gateway error	Verify that the application listens on the assigned $PORT, or that Docker maps it to the correct container port.
Release is awaiting liveness	Verify readiness, then confirm it in the dashboard or wait for the configured timeout.
TLS setup fails	Check that the hostname resolves to this server and that certificate validation can reach Nginx.

Users and access

The first registered user owns the dashboard. The current Settings screen has no registration toggle. The backend retains an allowRegister setting, but Jakeloud does not provide isolated project permissions: authenticated users can operate on shared projects. Treat accounts as trusted server operators.

These instructions cover jakeloud/jl. An older installation from jakeloud/jakeloud uses a different deployment model; do not assume that replacing its binary or copying its configuration is a supported migration. Back up the old instance and recreate and verify projects on a separate new installation.