Getting Started with FTL

FTL (Faster Than Light) is a deployment tool designed to simplify application deployment without the complexity of extensive orchestration infrastructure. This getting started guide will help you begin using FTL for your projects.

What is FTL?

FTL provides automated deployment to cloud providers like Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Linode, and custom servers. It eliminates the need for complex CI/CD pipelines or container orchestration platforms while still offering essential features like:

• Zero-downtime deployments
• Automatic SSL/TLS certificate management
• Docker-based deployment with health checks
• Integrated Nginx reverse proxy
• Multi-provider support
• Log streaming
• SSH tunneling for remote dependencies

Quick Start Guide

1. Installation
   Learn how to install FTL on your system using Homebrew, direct download, or by building from source.

2. Configuration
   Set up your project's ftl.yaml file and understand the basic configuration options.

3. First Deployment
   Deploy your first application with FTL and learn the basic deployment workflow.

Prerequisites

Before getting started with FTL, ensure you have:

• Basic knowledge of Docker and containerization
• SSH access to your target deployment server(s)
• Docker installed on your local machine
• A domain name (for SSL/TLS certificate management)

System Requirements

• Local Machine:

  • macOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL2
  • Docker Desktop or Docker Engine
  • SSH client
  • 4GB RAM (minimum)
  • 2 CPU cores (recommended)

• Target Server:

  • Ubuntu 20.04 or newer (recommended)
  • 1GB RAM (minimum)
  • 1 CPU core (minimum)
  • SSH access with sudo privileges

Next Steps

After completing the getting started guide, explore these topics to learn more:

• Core Tasks - Learn about building, deployment, logging, and other essential operations
• Configuration - Detailed configuration options and best practices
• Guides - In-depth guides for specific features and use cases
• Reference - Complete reference for CLI commands, configuration, and troubleshooting

TIP

For the smoothest experience, we recommend following the guides in order, starting with the Installation page.