Deploy

Deploying to Kubernetes

Run your backend on any Kubernetes cluster with a simple container image and deployment manifest.

Guide

Prerequisites

A Kubernetes cluster with kubectl access (AKS, EKS, GKE, k3s, etc.)
Container registry credentials (Docker Hub, GHCR, GCR, etc.)
Your backend application repository

Generate Environment Variables

Navigate to Rivet and click Connect > Manual. Copy the environment variables provided, they will be used in later manifests. They should look something like this:

RIVET_API_ENDPOINT=https://api-us-west-1.rivet.dev
RIVET_NAMESPACE=your-namespace-id
RIVET_TOKEN=your-token

Command Line

Package Your App

Create a Dockerfile in your project root:

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --omit=dev
COPY . .
ENV PORT=8080
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Dockerfile

Build and Push the Image

docker build -t registry.example.com/your-team/backend:latest .
docker push registry.example.com/your-team/backend:latest

Command Line

Replace registry.example.com/your-team with your registry path. Auth with docker login first if needed.

Deploy to Kubernetes

Create a backend-secrets.yaml for your environment variables:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: backend-secrets
type: Opaque
stringData:
  RIVET_API_ENDPOINT: https://api-us-west-1.rivet.dev
  RIVET_NAMESPACE: your-namespace-id
  RIVET_TOKEN: your-token

YAML

Then create a deployment.yaml:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: backend
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: backend
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: backend
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: backend
          image: registry.example.com/your-team/backend:latest
          envFrom:
            - secretRef:
                name: backend-secrets

YAML

You do not need to expose a container port. Rivet tunnels traffic directly to your backend.

Apply both manifests:

kubectl apply -f backend-secrets.yaml
kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

Command Line

Add a Service or Ingress if you need external access.

Verify the Runner

Check that the pod is running:

kubectl get pods -l app=backend

Command Line

Your runner should appear as connected on the Rivet dashboard once the pod is ready.