Build commands

What this means

What this means

The build command runs once per deploy after dependency install and before the server process starts. For Node.js apps it typically compiles frontend assets (npm run build). For Laravel it can cache config or compile Vite assets. For Python it can run collectstatic or other pre-flight tasks. Errors during the build stop the deploy and appear in the Runtime Logs panel.

Before you start

Before you start

Know the command your framework needs and confirm the start command still matches the output after the build runs.

Step-by-step guidance

Step-by-step guidance

1. Open the app service in the portal and find the Build Command field in the deploy configuration.
2. Enter the command your framework needs. Common examples: npm run build (React/Next.js/Vue), php artisan config:cache && php artisan route:cache (Laravel), python manage.py collectstatic --noinput (Django).
3. Save the configuration — the command will run automatically on the next deploy.
4. Trigger a redeploy and watch the Runtime Logs panel for build output and any errors.
5. If the build fails, check the log for missing dependencies, wrong environment variables, or incorrect output paths.

What CM Cloud support will review

What CM Cloud support will review

Support reviews build command syntax, framework output path, deploy log errors, and whether the start command still matches the compiled output.

What is not automated yet

What is not automated yet

This guide does not write build scripts, install packages outside the deploy step, or configure framework tooling automatically.