DeployX
Problem
Wanted to understand how platforms like Vercel work under the hood: the full pipeline from git clone to live deployment. Built DeployX as a learning project to reverse-engineer that entire flow on self-hosted AWS infrastructure.
System Design
Key Features
- One-click deployment from any Git repository
- Real-time build log streaming via Socket.IO
- Containerized build server using Docker + AWS ECS
- Automatic unique subdomain per deployment
- Reverse proxy routing requests to correct S3 bucket by subdomain
- Fully self-hosted with no dependency on third-party deployment services
Details
Built to learn how deployment platforms work end-to-end — from git clone to live URL — by building one from scratch on AWS.
Architected AWS-based deployment platform using Express.js, ECS for containerized builds (images in ECR), S3 for static hosting, and Nginx reverse-proxy for seamless custom-domain management
Implemented real-time build log streaming via Redis + Socket.IO, automated CI/CD pipeline for end-to-end container builds which Delivers 30-second instant-preview feature achieving 75% faster deployments and 60% increase in release frequency compared to traditional deployment workflows
Containerized entire stack using Docker Compose with one-click local setup, and optimized image size by 70% and deployed to EC2 with custom Nginx configuration handling main domain and dynamic subdomain routing to separate services