Render.com Primer
Deploy Meridian on Render's managed infrastructure with zero cold starts and automatic HTTPS. This guide covers web services, environment variables, and health checks.
Web Service Setup
Connect your GitHub repository and select the Node runtime. Set the build command to npm run build and the start command to npm start.
Environment Variables
Add your secrets under the Environment tab. Meridian requires DATABASE_URL, NEXTAUTH_SECRET, and any third-party API keys. Render encrypts variables at rest and injects them at runtime.
Health Checks
Configure an HTTP health check on /api/health. Render automatically restarts unresponsive instances and routes traffic only to healthy nodes.
Auto-Deploy
Enable auto-deploy on your target branch. Every push triggers a build and zero-downtime rollout. Use manual deploy for production freeze windows.
Pro tip: Set the instance type to at least 512 MB RAM for Next.js builds. Enable persistent disks if you need local file storage beyond ephemeral containers.