Convox Cloud

Convox Cloud is a fully-managed, multi-tenant platform built on the same technology as Convox Rack. It provides predictable pricing and instant deployment capabilities without requiring you to manage your own infrastructure.

What is Convox Cloud?

Convox Cloud introduces Machines - dedicated compute resources that host your applications in a managed environment. Unlike traditional Convox Racks that run in your own cloud account, Machines run on Convox-managed infrastructure, eliminating the need for cloud provider setup, Kubernetes management, or infrastructure maintenance.

Convox Cloud also provides Cloud Databases - fully managed RDS database instances (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB) with automated backups and optional high availability.

Key Benefits

• Zero Infrastructure Management: No AWS account, no Kubernetes cluster, no maintenance overhead
• Instant Setup: Deploy applications in seconds
• Predictable Pricing: Fixed per-machine and per-database pricing with no hidden infrastructure costs
• Full Convox Compatibility: Use the same convox.yml configuration and deployment workflows
• Managed Databases: Fully managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB with automated backups

Cloud vs Self-Hosted Racks

Feature	Convox Cloud	Self-Hosted Rack
Setup Time	Instant	10-20 minutes
Cloud Account Required	No	Yes
Infrastructure Management	Convox-managed	Self-managed
Pricing Model	Per machine/database	Infrastructure costs
Kubernetes Access	Restricted	Full access
Customization	Limited	Full control
Managed Databases	Yes (RDS)	Containerized or self-managed
Best For	Rapid deployment, predictable costs	Complete control, custom requirements

Machines

A Machine is a slice of dedicated compute resources (vCPU and RAM) that hosts your applications. Machines come in predefined sizes:

Size	vCPU	RAM	Monthly Price
X-Small	0.5	1 GB	$12
Small	1	2 GB	$25
Medium	2	4 GB	$75
Large	4	8 GB	$150

Each machine can host multiple services as long as their combined resource usage doesn't exceed the machine's capacity.

Cloud Databases

Cloud Databases provide fully managed RDS instances with automated backups. Supported engines:

• PostgreSQL - Versions 14.x through 18.x
• MySQL - Versions 8.0.x and 8.4.x
• MariaDB - Versions 10.6.x through 11.8.x

Class	vCPU	RAM	Storage	Monthly Price
dev	1.0	1 GB	20 GB	$19
small	2.0	2 GB	50 GB	$39
medium	2.0	4 GB	100 GB	$99
large	2.0	8 GB	250 GB	$199

All database classes include 7-day automated backups. Enable durable: true for Multi-AZ failover (doubles cost).

Quick Start

1. Install the Convox CLI (if not already installed):

$ curl -L https://github.com/convox/convox/releases/latest/download/convox-linux -o /tmp/convox
$ sudo mv /tmp/convox /usr/local/bin/convox
$ sudo chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/convox

2. Login to Convox:

$ convox login console.convox.com

3. Create a Machine:

   • Log into the Convox Console
   • Navigate to the Cloud Machines page
   • Click "New Machine" and select your desired size and region

4. Deploy an Application:

$ convox cloud apps create my-app -i my-machine
$ convox cloud deploy -i my-machine -a my-app

Example Configuration

resources:
  database:
    type: postgres
    provider: aws
    options:
      class: small
      version: 17.5

services:
  web:
    build: .
    port: 3000
    scale:
      count: 1-3
      cpu: 250
      memory: 512
    resources:
      - database

Core Concepts

Machines

Pre-configured compute units that provide CPU, memory, and storage for your applications. Machines are fully managed and automatically maintained.

Cloud Databases

Fully managed RDS database instances. Define databases in your convox.yml with provider: aws to use Cloud Databases instead of containerized databases.

Applications

Standard Convox applications that run on machines. Applications use the same convox.yml format and support the same features as rack-based deployments.

Build Isolation

Builds run in separate, ephemeral environments to prevent resource contention.

Automatic Updates

System components and security patches are automatically applied.

Use Cases

Convox Cloud is suitable for:

• Startups: Deploy quickly without infrastructure overhead
• Development Teams: Focus on building features
• Agencies: Deploy client applications with predictable pricing
• Side Projects: Cost-effective hosting
• Staging Environments: Quickly spin up review apps and staging environments

Next Steps

• Getting Started - Step-by-step guide to deploying your first application
• Machine Management - Learn how to create and manage machines
• Cloud Databases - Configure managed databases
• CLI Reference - Complete reference for convox cloud commands
• Migration Guide - Migrate from other platforms

Support

• Documentation: docs.convox.com
• Community: community.convox.com
• Support: cloud-support@convox.com