Application Types Guide - Apps, Sites, Databases & Standalone | Nife

Understand the different types of applications you can deploy and manage on Nife.

Application Types Overview#

Nife supports four main application types, each optimized for different deployment scenarios.

Apps (Containerized Applications)#

What are Containerized Apps?#

Containerized applications are Docker containers running your custom code or services.

Characteristics

Docker container-based
Microservices architecture
Scalable across replicas
Custom code deployable
Stateless or stateful
API backends
Long-running services

Use Cases

REST APIs
GraphQL servers
Microservices
Worker services
Custom applications
Real-time applications
Background jobs

Managing Container Apps#

Create Container App

Click "Deploy App" button
Upload Docker image or Git repo
Configure environment
Set resource requirements
Deploy to regions

Scale Container Apps

Increase replica count
Load balance traffic
Update configuration
Rolling deployments
Blue-green deployment

Monitor Container Apps

CPU/memory metrics
Request counts
Error rates
Latency
Container logs

Container App Metrics#

Key Metrics

Running replicas
Deployment status
Region deployed
Resource usage
Request metrics

Sites (Static Websites)#

What are Static Sites?#

Static websites served from CDN for fast global delivery.

Characteristics

HTML/CSS/JavaScript
Pre-built content
No server processing
CDN distributed
Fast delivery
Low latency
Cost effective

Use Cases

Documentation
Blogs
Portfolio websites
Landing pages
JAM stack applications
Single-page applications
Static content

Managing Static Sites#

Create Static Site

Click "New Site" button
Upload build files or Git repo
Configure build process
Select CDN locations
Deploy to edge

Update Site

Redeploy from Git
Upload new files
Clear cache
Version history

Access Site

Open in browser
Copy URL for sharing
Custom domain
SSL certificate included

Databases#

What are Database Services?#

Managed databases for data persistence and querying.

Supported Databases

PostgreSQL
MySQL
MongoDB
Redis
Other data stores

Characteristics

Managed database
Automatic backups
High availability
Built-in replication
Connection pooling
Performance optimized

Use Cases

Data persistence
Relational data
Document storage
Caching layer
Session storage
Queue data
Analytics data

Managing Databases#

Create Database

Click "New Database" button
Select database type
Configure size
Set regions
Create initial database

Manage Database

Backups and restore
User management
Connection strings
Performance tuning
Monitoring

Database Metrics

Connection count
Query performance
Storage usage
Backup status
Replication lag

Standalone Services#

What are Standalone Services?#

Custom Docker services running on dedicated servers you manage.

Characteristics

Docker-based
Server managed
Monolith architecture
Custom infrastructure
Full control
IP-based access
Status monitoring

Use Cases

Legacy applications
Custom services
Specialized workloads
On-premises integration
Custom infrastructure
Non-containerized apps
Server-based services

Managing Standalone Services#

Register Server

Add server IP address
Configure credentials
Install Docker
Enable monitoring

Deploy Service

Docker image
Environment configuration
Port mapping
Resource allocation

Monitor Services

Service status (active/inactive)
Server health
Performance metrics
Service logs

Comparison of Types#

Feature Comparison#

Feature	Apps	Sites	Databases	Standalone
Scalability	High	CDN	Built-in	Limited
Complexity	Medium	Low	Medium	High
Cost	Medium	Low	Medium	Variable
Management	Nife	Nife	Nife	Your infra
Auto-scaling	Yes	No	No	No
Global Reach	Yes	Yes	Regional	Limited
Uptime SLA	99.9%	99.99%	99.95%	As configured

Deployment Type Indicators#

Identifying Application Type#

Each application shows its type:

App Icon: Containerized applications
Globe Icon: Static websites
Database Icon: Database services
Rocket Icon: Standalone services

Type-Specific Features#

Apps Only

Replica scaling
Auto-restart
Rolling updates
Load balancing

Sites Only

CDN distribution
Cache purging
Build pipeline
Custom domains

Databases Only

Backups
Replication
Connection pooling
User management

Standalone Only

Server registration
Service listing
Custom monitoring
Direct IP access

Choosing Application Type#

Decision Guide#

Choose Apps for:

Containerized microservices
APIs and backends
Scalable workloads
Dynamic content
Auto-scaling needs
Global distribution

Choose Sites for:

Static content
Websites
JAM stack apps
Documentation
Fast delivery
Low complexity

Choose Databases for:

Data persistence
Relational data
Document storage
Caching
Managed service
Built-in features

Choose Standalone for:

Legacy apps
Custom infrastructure
Special requirements
Full control needed
On-premises integration
Specialized workloads

Application Type Details#

Viewing Type Details#

In Dashboard List

See deployment type
View type icon
Filter by type
Use type-specific filters

In Application Details

Full type information
Type-specific settings
Related services
Configuration options

Type-Specific Operations#

Operations by Type#

Apps Operations

Scale replicas
Configure environment
View metrics
Access logs
Restart service
Pause/resume

Sites Operations

Trigger rebuild
Purge cache
Configure domain
View build logs
Redeploy

Database Operations

Create backup
Restore backup
Manage users
Tune performance
Monitor connections

Standalone Operations

Check status
View services
Manage services
Monitor server
Manage registration

Integration Between Types#

Multi-Type Deployments#

Deploy multiple types together:

Common Stack

App: API backend
Database: Data store
Site: Frontend website
Cache: Redis for performance

Communication

Apps connect to databases
Sites call app APIs
Services use caches
Standalone integrates with others

Regional Considerations#

Regional Features by Type#

Apps

Multi-region deployment
Load balancing across regions
Regional failover
Global scale

Sites

CDN edge locations
Global distribution
Regional caching
Automatic failover

Databases

Regional replicas
Cross-region backup
Read replicas
Disaster recovery

Standalone

Fixed server location
No replication
Limited scaling
Single region

Best Practices#

Choose Right Type: Match your needs
Use Databases Wisely: For persistence
Leverage CDN: For static sites
Scale Apps: Use multi-replica
Monitor All: Track every type
Document Architecture: Keep records
Plan Growth: Design for scale
Test Integration: Between types

Quick Decision Guide: Choosing Application Types#

Use this table to quickly identify the right application type for your use case:

Use Case	Best Type	Why	Key Benefits
REST APIs, Microservices	Apps	Containerized, scalable	Auto-scaling, multi-region
Websites, Documentation	Sites	CDN-optimized	Fast delivery, low cost
Data Persistence	Databases	Managed service	Automated backups, replication
Legacy Applications	Standalone	Custom infrastructure	Full control, on-premises integration

Application Type Comparison Matrix#

Core Characteristics by Type:

Feature	Apps	Sites	Databases	Standalone
Scalability	Horizontal (replicas)	CDN distribution	Replication	Limited
Complexity	Medium	Low	Medium	High
Cost Model	Pay per replica	Low/Fixed	Variable	Custom
Auto-scaling	Yes	No	No	No
Global Reach	Multi-region	Edge locations	Regional	Limited
Management	Nife	Nife	Nife	Your responsibility
Best For	Dynamic services	Static content	Data layer	Custom needs

Next Steps#

Managing Applications - Control and monitor all application types
Application Details - View type-specific information and settings
Scaling Applications - Scale based on application type
Applications Overview - Return to dashboard guide