Using Templates
Templates provide pre-configured deployment setups for common application stacks. They're the fastest way to get started with Hydron — select a template, customize a few settings, and deploy.
How templates work
A template includes:
- Pre-configured services with optimized settings
- Dockerfiles tuned for the specific stack
- Environment variable definitions with sensible defaults
- Health check configurations
- Recommended server specifications
When you choose a template, Hydron sets up everything automatically. You only need to provide your application-specific values (database passwords, API keys, etc.).
Available template categories
Web Applications
| Template | Stack | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Node.js + Express | Node.js, Express, MongoDB | REST API with database |
| React + Node.js | React, Express, PostgreSQL | Full-stack web application |
| Next.js | Next.js, PostgreSQL | Server-rendered React application |
| Django | Python, Django, PostgreSQL | Python web framework |
| Rails | Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL | Ruby web framework |
| Laravel | PHP, Laravel, MySQL | PHP web framework |
| Spring Boot | Java, Spring Boot, PostgreSQL | Java enterprise application |
Static Sites
| Template | Stack | Description |
|---|---|---|
| React SPA | React, Nginx | Single-page application with Nginx |
| Vue.js SPA | Vue.js, Nginx | Vue.js application with Nginx |
| Static HTML | HTML/CSS/JS, Nginx | Plain static files served by Nginx |
Databases & Services
| Template | Stack | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | PostgreSQL 16 | Managed PostgreSQL database |
| MySQL | MySQL 8 | Managed MySQL database |
| Redis | Redis 7 | In-memory cache and message broker |
| MongoDB | MongoDB 7 | Document database |
Using a template
- In a new chat, select Templates from the deployment options
- Browse or search the template gallery
- Select the template that matches your needs
- Customize the configuration:
- Application name
- Environment variables
- Server location preference
- Review the generated infrastructure plan
- Approve and deploy
Customizing templates
Templates are starting points, not rigid configurations. After selecting a template, you can customize everything through the chat:
- "Change the database to MySQL instead of PostgreSQL"
- "Add a Redis cache to this stack"
- "Use a larger server with 32GB RAM"
- "Add an Nginx reverse proxy in front of the API"
The AI will update the infrastructure plan to reflect your changes.
Templates vs. Git deployment
| Aspect | Templates | Git deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Fastest — deploy in minutes | Requires code analysis first |
| Customization | Pre-configured, then customizable | Fully analyzed from your code |
| Best for | Standard stacks, quick prototypes | Custom applications |
| Code included | Template starter code | Your existing codebase |
You can start with a template and later switch to deploying your own code from Git by adding your repository as a service.