What do I need to deploy Base44 on a VPS?

You need a VPS (starting at $4-6/month), SSH access, and the app code in a GitHub repo. For Base44 and VPS, you also need environment variables, a domain, and SSL configured before going live.

How long does it take to deploy to a VPS?

A straightforward Base44 deployment takes 2-4 hours for someone familiar with servers. RepoAssistant does it in 24h with a ship-or-refund guarantee.

How much does it cost to host Base44 on a VPS?

A VPS for Base44 or VPS starts at $4-6/month for a 1-2 GB instance from providers like Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Hostinger. RepoAssistant's deploy service is a fixed $39-149 one-time fee.

What if something breaks after deployment?

Every deployment includes a smoke test (login, forms, database writes, API calls) and a handover doc with restart, rollback, and deploy commands. If the app is blocked pre-launch, we fix and ship within 24h or refund.

Base44 deployment rescue

Base44 app works in preview but fails on a real server

Base44 can generate the app quickly, but production still needs a repo, environment variables, a real server process, and a domain you own.

Published April 7, 2026·by RepoAssistant Team

Base44 Domain VPS

What is probably broken in your Base44 app

The app looks ready inside Base44, but exporting it and running it on a real host exposes missing build settings, secrets, or runtime assumptions.

What production should look like for Base44

The same Base44 app running on your own server with HTTPS, env vars, backups, and a repeatable deploy path.

STEP 01

Record what Base44 depended on

Before you move anything, document the configuration Base44 was hiding from you. Base44 injects environment variables and runtime defaults during preview that are not visible in the exported codebase. Every one of these is a potential failure point on a real server.

Export the code to a repo you control using Base44's export or git push feature.
List the build command, the runtime version (Node, Python, or other), and every external service the app connects to.
Note every callback URL, secret, API key, and upload path that Base44 configured in its dashboard before moving to production.
Check the generated Dockerfile or start script for hardcoded paths or environment values that only exist inside Base44's preview environment.
Run npm install and npm run build on the exported code locally first to confirm it compiles without Base44's runtime environment.

STEP 02

Recreate the production environment

The usual failure is not the code itself. It is the missing server-side configuration that Base44 provided automatically during preview. A server needs every dependency and every env var set explicitly, or the app will crash at startup without clear error messages.

Add production environment variables in the server or deploy panel. Include every key from Base44's preview settings plus any additional secrets for Stripe, SendGrid, or other production services.
Switch auth callback URLs, webhook endpoints, CORS origins, and email sender settings from the Base44 preview domain to the live production domain.
Run the app as a managed process with a restart strategy using PM2, Docker, or the deploy panel's built-in process manager.
Verify the server has the correct system dependencies installed: database drivers, image processing libraries, and any native modules the Base44 app imports.
Configure the reverse proxy to serve the app on the correct port and terminate TLS with an auto-renewing SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt.

STEP 03

Deploy and verify the result

A real deployment is complete only when the app works under the live domain and can be recovered if something goes wrong. Base44 previews are disposable environments. Production is not.

Run a clean build on the server with production environment variables loaded. Do not reuse a build artifact from your local machine or from Base44.
Smoke test user login, form submissions, API routes, database writes, payment flows, and any file upload or email functionality.
Capture a full server and database backup before launch and write down the rollback steps so you can revert within minutes if a critical bug surfaces after the domain switch.
Set up uptime monitoring to alert you if the app stops responding, and configure log rotation so the server disk does not fill up with application logs.
Document the complete deploy procedure including SSH access, build commands, restart commands, and backup and restore steps so someone else can manage the server if needed.

Quick check

Is your Base44 production-ready?

If you cannot tick all five, we can fix it. Send us the repo and we handle the rest.

?Custom domain with HTTPS
?Environment variables configured
?Database wired and backed up
?Auto-deploy on push
?Smoke tested and live

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