This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by lucas-brdt268
Dockploy + Headless CMS: Deploying Without Crying Over YAML Files
If you’ve ever tried deploying a frontend connected to a headless CMS and ended up staring at a “502 Bad Gateway” page like it personally insulted you… this post is for you. 
The Mission
You built something beautiful.
Frontend? React or Next.js.
Backend? Headless CMS.
Everything works on localhost. You even high-fived yourself.
Then it’s time to deploy — and suddenly your app behaves like:
“CMS? Never heard of her.”
The Old Way (a.k.a. The Deployment Pain Olympics)
Before Dockploy, deployment meant juggling:
- Dockerfiles that kind of work
- CI/CD pipelines that fail silently
- YAML files that look like alien poetry
- Servers that say “connection refused” at 3AM
You’d spend hours fixing environment variables until you start questioning your career choices.
Enter Dockploy: The “Peaceful Deployment” Tool
Dockploy is that rare friend who says,
“Hey, let’s deploy your app without emotional damage.”
It’s simple:
- Connect your repo
- Choose your build command
- Link your environment variables
- Click Deploy
That’s it. You’re live before your coffee gets cold. 
Step 1: Set Your Environment Variables
Your CMS URL, API key, and frontend endpoint are best friends — until one of them goes missing.
In Dockploy:
- Go to Environment Variables
- Add keys like:
NEXT_PUBLIC_CMS_URL=https://cms.example.com
CMS_TOKEN=super-secret-token
- Hit save
Pro tip: Never hardcode secrets, unless you enjoy being hacked by future-you. 
Step 2: Configure Your Build
Dockploy detects your stack automatically (Next.js, Astro, Remix — whatever you fancy).
But just to be safe:
# Build
pnpm build
# Start (if needed)
pnpm start
And if your CMS API runs on another server, make sure it’s reachable — nothing says “oops” like a 404 from your backend.
Step 3: Connect Frontend + CMS Smoothly
If your CMS (like Strapi or Directus) runs on another Dockploy app:
- Use internal URLs or Docker network aliases
- Example:
NEXT_PUBLIC_CMS_URL=http://cms:1337
Instead of localhost or some random IP that only your cat understands. 
Now your frontend and backend are besties again.
Step 4: Add Automatic Redeploys (Because You Deserve It)
Nothing feels better than pushing to main and seeing Dockploy say:
“Got it, boss. Redeploying automatically.”
You can link GitHub → Dockploy and set up automatic deploys for every push.
It’s basically like CI/CD, but without 3,000 YAML lines. 
Step 5: Debug Without Tears
If something breaks (it will), Dockploy logs are your best friend:
- Go to Logs
- You’ll instantly see which env var you forgot, or which import you misspelled
- Fix → push → redeploy → brag
Step 6: Celebrate and Pretend It Was Easy
Now that your CMS and frontend are deployed and talking nicely,
you can act cool in your dev chat:
“Yeah, just deployed to Dockploy. Zero config. Smooth.”
(You totally forgot to add the .env file on your first try, but no one needs to know.)
TL;DR
- Set your env vars — don’t hardcode secrets.
- Let Dockploy auto-detect your build setup.
- Use internal URLs if your CMS and frontend live together.
- Enable automatic redeploys — future-you will love it.
- Celebrate like you didn’t just Google “docker network alias” 6 times.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by lucas-brdt268