Creating a New Project Applad projects start with applad init, which scaffolds the complete directory structure and configuration files you need to get running.
Initialize from Template
Choose a template
Select a template that matches your use case: applad init --template saas # Multi-tenant SaaS with auth and billing applad init --template api # Lean REST API setup applad init --template cms # Content management with hosting applad init --template minimal # Bare minimum to start
Review the generated structure
After initialization, you’ll have: my-project/ ├── applad.yaml # Root instance configuration ├── .env.example # Auto-generated environment variables ├── .gitignore # Excludes .env files automatically └── orgs/ # Organizations directory
Configure environment variables
Copy the example environment file and fill in your values: The .env.example file is auto-generated with annotations showing:
Which config file uses each variable
Expected format
Whether it should be treated as a secret
Instance Configuration The applad.yaml file at the root defines your instance-level configuration:
version : "1.0" name : "my-applad-instance" description : "My Applad instance" instance : url : "https://api.myapp.com" region : "us-east-1" secret : ${APPLAD_SECRET} features : ui : true api : true graphql : true realtime : true storage : true functions : true deployments : true workflows : true flags : true analytics : true instruct : true messaging : true
Creating an Organization Organizations are the top level of the hierarchy. Every project belongs to an org.
Create the organization
applad orgs create --name "Acme Corp"
This scaffolds orgs/acme-corp/org.yaml with default roles and an empty SSH keys list.
Switch to your org
Set the active organization context: applad orgs switch acme-corp
Creating a Project Projects live inside organizations and own all resources — tables, functions, deployments, etc.
Create the project
applad projects create \ --name "Mobile App" \ --org "acme-corp"
This creates the project directory at orgs/acme-corp/mobile-app/ with a project.yaml file.
Configure environments
Edit orgs/acme-corp/mobile-app/project.yaml to define your environments: id : "mobile-app" name : "Mobile App" org : "acme-corp" description : "Consumer mobile application" environments : - name : "development" url : "http://localhost:8080" infrastructure : type : "local" - name : "staging" url : "https://staging-api.myapp.com" infrastructure : type : "vps" host : "staging.acme-corp.com" user : "applad" ssh_key : "ci-github-actions" - name : "production" url : "https://api.myapp.com" infrastructure : type : "vps" host : "prod-01.acme-corp.com" user : "applad" ssh_key : "ci-github-actions"
Switch to your project
Set the active project context: applad projects switch mobile-app
First Run Once your project is configured, bring it up:
Validate your configuration
This checks syntax, required fields, cross-references, and validates all ${VAR} references.
Review what will happen
applad up --dry-run --diff
Shows exactly what will change without executing anything.
Start your instance
On first run, Applad detects the uninitialized database and runs bootstrap inline. You’ll be prompted for:
Instance URL
First owner’s email
SSH public key path
Organization name
After bootstrap completes, your instance is running. Development Workflow For local development, use watch mode to automatically reconcile on file changes:
Only use --watch in local development. Never use it in production or CI.
Next Steps
Define Tables Create your database schema with tables and migrations
Configure Auth Set up authentication providers and session management
Add Storage Configure file storage with buckets and permissions
Deploy Functions Create serverless functions for your backend logic