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Running many apps on one server

A per-app definition describes one app. When you run several apps on a server, a few things belong to the server, not to any single app — shared alert channels, server-wide defaults, and the order apps should come up in. That's what the host file is for.

See also: The mooring.yaml file · Installation

The host file

The host file (kind: Host) is an optional, server-level definition where you set:

  • Shared defaults — values that apply to every app unless the app overrides them (for example, common labels or sensible resource defaults).
  • Which apps live on this server, and the order to deploy them — so a database comes up before the app that depends on it.

Like the per-app file, the host file is the source of truth: you keep it in version control, and the dashboard reads it (it shows the deployed server settings, and is read-only for them).

Where settings live (and what the dashboard can change)

Mooring keeps settings in three layers, by how sensitive they are:

  1. The root of trust — your master key, the dashboard login, the IP allowlist, and the network address. These live in config.yaml and are set over SSH at install. The dashboard can never change them; they're set over SSH at install only.
  2. Server settings — the host-wide defaults and coordination above.
  3. App settings — everything about an individual app: its image, env, secrets, routes, scaling, and so on.

Layers 2 and 3 are defined in their definition files (the host file and each app's mooring.yaml); the dashboard reflects them read-only, except the operational things it deliberately owns — secret values, lifecycle actions, and the auto-scaling policy. Layer 1 stays SSH-only on purpose. Settings combine in order — a built-in default, then a server default, then the app's own value — with the most specific winning, and the same safety checks apply no matter which layer a value came from.

Acknowledging changes

If a setting that broadens what an app can do changes (say, opening a new route or raising a limit), Mooring surfaces it for you to acknowledge rather than applying it silently — so an unexpected change in a file you committed can't quietly take effect.