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Version: 1.0.17

Deploy to Render

🎨 Deploy to Render​

Deploy your ElizaOS agent to Render with automatic GitHub deployments and free tier options.

Prerequisites​

  • GitHub account
  • Render account (free)
  • ElizaOS agent working locally
  • API keys ready (OpenAI/Anthropic/etc.)

Step 1: Prepare Your Repository​

Create a GitHub Repository​

  1. Create a new repository on GitHub
  2. Push your agent code:
cd your-agent-folder
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO.git
git push -u origin main

Add Required Files​

Ensure your repository has:

package.json with start script:

{
  "name": "my-elizaos-agent",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "elizaos start",
    "build": "echo 'No build required'"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "@elizaos/cli": "latest"
  },
  "engines": {
    "node": ">=20.0.0"
  }
}

render.yaml (optional, for Infrastructure as Code):

services:
  - type: web
    name: my-elizaos-agent
    runtime: node
    buildCommand: bun install
    startCommand: bun start
    envVars:
      - key: NODE_ENV
        value: production
      - key: DATABASE_URL
        fromDatabase:
          name: elizaos-db
          property: connectionString

databases:
  - name: elizaos-db
    plan: free
    databaseName: elizaos
    user: elizaos

Step 2: Deploy to Render​

Create New Web Service​

  1. Go to render.com
  2. Click "New +" → "Web Service"
  3. Connect your GitHub account
  4. Select your repository
  5. Configure service settings:
    • Name: your-agent-name
    • Runtime: Node
    • Branch: main
    • Build Command: bun install
    • Start Command: bun start

Configure Environment Variables​

In the Render dashboard, add environment variables:

# Required - AI Provider (choose one)
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-key
# OR
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-anthropic-key

# Optional - Platform Integrations
DISCORD_APPLICATION_ID=your-discord-app-id
DISCORD_API_TOKEN=your-discord-bot-token
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-telegram-token
TWITTER_API_KEY=your-twitter-api-key
TWITTER_API_SECRET=your-twitter-secret
TWITTER_ACCESS_TOKEN=your-access-token
TWITTER_ACCESS_SECRET=your-access-secret

# Database (if using PostgreSQL)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/dbname

Step 3: Database Options​

Option 1: Render PostgreSQL​

  1. Click "New +" → "PostgreSQL"
  2. Configure database:
    • Name: elizaos-db
    • Database: elizaos
    • User: elizaos
    • Plan: Free (limited to 90 days) or Starter ($7/month)
  3. Copy connection string to DATABASE_URL

Option 2: External Database​

Use any PostgreSQL provider:

  • Supabase (free tier)
  • Neon (free tier)
  • ElephantSQL (free tier)

Option 3: PGLite (Default)​

No configuration needed - uses local file storage.

Note: Data may be lost on redeploy with free tier.

Step 4: Deploy Configuration​

Free Tier Limitations​

  • Spins down after 15 minutes of inactivity
  • 750 hours/month (enough for one service)
  • Limited CPU and RAM
  • No persistent disk (use external database)

Keeping Service Active​

For 24/7 availability on free tier:

  1. Use external monitoring service (UptimeRobot, Pingdom)
  2. Set up health check endpoint
  3. Ping your service every 14 minutes

Add health endpoint to your agent:

// In your configuration
{
  "settings": {
    "port": process.env.PORT || 10000,
    "healthCheckPath": "/health"
  }
}

Step 5: Custom Domain​

Add Custom Domain​

  1. Go to Settings → Custom Domains
  2. Add your domain
  3. Update DNS records:
    • Type: CNAME
    • Name: your-subdomain
    • Value: your-app.onrender.com

SSL Certificate​

Render provides free SSL certificates automatically.

Deployment Tips​

Auto-Deploy Setup​

  1. Enable auto-deploy in Settings
  2. Every push to main branch triggers deployment
  3. Set up branch protection for production

Environment Management​

Create separate services for staging/production:

# render-staging.yaml
services:
  - type: web
    name: my-agent-staging
    branch: develop
    envVars:
      - key: NODE_ENV
        value: staging

# render-production.yaml
services:
  - type: web
    name: my-agent-production
    branch: main
    envVars:
      - key: NODE_ENV
        value: production

Build Optimization​

Speed up deployments:

{
  "scripts": {
    "postinstall": "echo 'Skipping postinstall'",
    "build": "echo 'No build step required'"
  }
}

Monitoring & Logs​

View Logs​

  1. Go to your service dashboard
  2. Click "Logs" tab
  3. Filter by:
    • Deploy logs
    • Service logs
    • Time range

Set Up Alerts​

  1. Go to Settings → Notifications
  2. Configure alerts for:
    • Deploy failures
    • Service failures
    • High resource usage

Performance Monitoring​

Monitor in dashboard:

  • CPU usage
  • Memory usage
  • Response times
  • Request count

Troubleshooting​

Service Won't Start​

Check for common issues:

"Error: Cannot find module" → Missing dependency
"EADDRINUSE" → Port conflict (use PORT env var)
"API key not found" → Check environment variables

Solutions:

  1. Verify package.json dependencies
  2. Use process.env.PORT for port binding
  3. Double-check environment variables
  4. Check build and deploy logs

Slow Cold Starts​

Free tier services spin down after inactivity:

  1. First request takes 30-60 seconds
  2. Use health check pings to keep active
  3. Upgrade to paid tier for always-on

Database Connection Issues​

If using Render PostgreSQL:

  1. Check connection string format
  2. Verify database is running
  3. Check connection pool settings
  4. Review database logs

Memory Limits​

Free tier has 512MB RAM limit:

  1. Optimize agent memory usage
  2. Reduce conversation history
  3. Limit concurrent connections
  4. Upgrade to paid tier if needed

Scaling & Optimization​

Upgrade Options​

When to upgrade from free tier:

  • Need 24/7 availability without delays
  • More than 750 hours/month usage
  • Require persistent disk storage
  • Need more CPU/RAM

Performance Tips​

  1. Enable caching for repeated queries
  2. Optimize dependencies - remove unused packages
  3. Use connection pooling for database
  4. Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse

Cost Optimization​

Render pricing tiers:

  • Free: $0/month (limited features)
  • Starter: $7/month (always-on, 512MB RAM)
  • Standard: $25/month (1GB RAM, autoscaling)
  • Pro: $85/month (4GB RAM, priority support)

Security Best Practices​

Environment Variables​

  • Never commit secrets to GitHub
  • Use Render's secret management
  • Rotate API keys regularly
  • Use different keys for staging/production

Network Security​

  • Enable force HTTPS
  • Set up CORS properly
  • Use rate limiting
  • Implement request validation

Access Control​

  1. Use GitHub branch protection
  2. Enable 2FA on all accounts
  3. Limit deploy permissions
  4. Monitor access logs

Support Resources​

💡 Pro Tip: Start with the free tier to test your deployment, then upgrade once you've validated your agent works well in production.

🚀 Quick Start: Use our render.yaml template for fastest setup!