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ForgeVPS

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Find your way around

Learn what ForgeVPS does, what each tab is for, and how the different parts of your workspace fit together.

Connect or install ForgeVPS

Choose hosted or self-hosted, connect your machine, and open your first workspace.

Use the Dashboard

Check the machine you are working on, understand its resource readings, and find your next step.

Browse and edit files

Find your project, edit and save code, search files, and understand the Workspace and Git controls.

Use the Terminal

Run commands on your machine, keep separate tasks in tabs, and return to sessions you left open.

Use the Servers tab

Add an app, choose development or production, and use the list and detail controls to keep it running.

Deploy from GitHub

Connect a repository, follow its build, and publish later changes by pushing to the selected branch.

Give your app a web address

Point a domain at your machine, choose the app it should open, and check that HTTPS is working.

Use the Databases tab

Create a PostgreSQL database, open tables, edit rows, run a query, and connect your application.

Import a Supabase database

Copy selected application schemas into a new local database, verify the result, and switch your app deliberately.

Back up and restore a database

Use the Backups dialog to save a recovery point, download a copy, and restore when you need to.

Work with an agent

Give your agent a reliable starting point without handing over credentials or changing your project's instructions.

Technical reference

Understand the panel, managed processes, workspace files, and the boundary between ForgeVPS and your applications.

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Technical reference

Understand the panel, managed processes, workspace files, and the boundary between ForgeVPS and your applications.

Hosted & self-hostedReviewed 2026-09-29Read as Markdown ↗
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What ForgeVPS manages

The hosted panel reaches your machines over SSH. The self-hosted panel has its own local workspace. Files and Terminal operate on that machine; project folders in the editor are references to existing filesystem locations, not copies of your projects.

Use Servers to register applications and Domains to manage their routes. Applications launched manually in a terminal are not automatically registered as ForgeVPS servers. Editing a file does not necessarily rebuild or restart an app; follow its runtime and build process.

There is no documented general-purpose ForgeVPS automation CLI or public management API for creating application servers. forgevps-panel manages the self-hosted panel itself. Do not invent application-management subcommands or use browser session cookies as an automation credential.

On the managed machine

  • ~/.forge/dev/ — configurations and logs for locally registered development and production servers. The directory name is historical; it does not determine a server's mode.
  • ~/.forge/servers/ — GitHub deployment releases, environment files, and deployment logs where supported.
  • ~/.forge/databases/ — managed database configurations, including credentials. Never paste their contents into a chat.
  • ~/.forge/database-imports/ — import progress, private logs, and upgrade recovery files.
  • ~/.forge/backups/ — local database backups. Local copies do not replace an independent backup.

The home directory belongs to the managed SSH account. Older installations may retain data in ~/forge with compatibility links. Do not move, replace, or delete either layout to resolve a UI problem.

Managed and existing databases

ForgeVPS discovers application databases in the default local PostgreSQL cluster. A database with no managed credentials is browse-only in ForgeVPS; its PostgreSQL permissions are unchanged. External servers and container-only clusters are not covered by this discovery flow.

Managed databases support connection details, writes, backups, and renaming. Renaming changes the real database name and requires connected applications and backups to be stopped first. Update their connection strings afterwards. The existing owner, password, and backup history are retained.

The internal self-hosted panel database is hidden from the application database list. Do not use it for application tables. For backup or restore, confirm the database and inspect the dialog or installed tool's instructions; restoring can replace data.

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