YAML Specification


Here’s a sample YAML file that uses most of the supported settings for infrastructure as code. Use it to get started with your own render.yaml.

Make sure to place render.yaml at the root of your repository. 
services:
# A Docker web service
- type: web
  name: webdis
  env: docker
  repo: https://github.com/render-examples/webdis.git # optional
  plan: standard              # optional
  branch: master              # optional (uses repo default)
  envVars:
  - key: REDIS_HOST
    fromService:
      name: redis
      type: pserv
      property: host          # available properties are listed below
  - key: REDIS_PORT
    fromService:
      name: redis
      type: pserv
      property: port
  - fromGroup: conc-settings
# A private Redis instance
- type: pserv
  name: redis
  env: docker
  repo: https://github.com/render-examples/redis-cache.git # optional
  envVars:
  - key: GENERATED_SECRET
    generateValue: true       # will generate a base64-encoded 256-bit secret
  - key: DASHBOARD_SECRET
    sync: false               # placeholder for a value to be added in the dashboard
  disk:
    name: redis-data
    mountPath: /opt/redis
    sizeGB: 10                # optional
# A Ruby web service
- type: web
  name: sinatra
  env: ruby
  repo: https://github.com/renderinc/sinatra-example.git
  buildCommand: bundle install
  startCommand: bundle exec ruby main.rb
  domains:
  - test0.render.com
  - test1.render.com
  envVars:
  - key: STRIPE_API_KEY
    value: Z2V0IG91dHRhIGhlcmUhCg
  - key: DB_URL
    fromDatabase:
      name: elephant
      property: connectionString
# A Python cron job that runs every hour
- type: cron
  name: date
  env: python
  schedule: "0 * * * *"
  buildCommand: "true"        # ensure it's a string
  startCommand: date
  repo: https://github.com/render-examples/docker.git # optional
# A background worker that consumes a queue
- type: worker
  name: queue
  env: docker
  dockerfilePath: ./sub/Dockerfile # optional
  dockerContext: ./sub/src    # optional
  branch: queue               # optional

databases:
- name: elephant
  databaseName: mydb          # optional (Render may add a suffix)
  user: adrian                # optional

envVarGroups:
- name: conc-settings
  envVars:
  - key: CONCURRENCY
    value: 2
  - key: SECRET
    generateValue: true
- name: stripe
  envVars:
  - key: STRIPE_API_URL
    value: https://api.stripe.com/v2

Services

You can define services in your YAML file.

  • Each service should have a type, name, and env.
  • Cron jobs must have a schedule.
  • Each service should have a startCommand unless it’s a Docker service in which case Render uses the command in your Dockerfile.

Repo & Branch

Services in render.yaml can omit a repo. If a repo is missing, it is assumed to be the repo the YAML file is in. The specified repo must be accessible to you.

You can also omit a branch. Render will use the repo’s default branch if it’s omitted.

Type

The service type must be one of the following:

  • web for a web service
  • worker for a background worker
  • pserv for a private service
  • cron for a cron job
A static site is not considered a service type. It is a web service with a static environment.

Environment

The service environment must be one of the following:

  • docker
  • elixir
  • go
  • node
  • python
  • ruby
  • rust
  • static

Environment Variables

A service can specify zero or more environment variables. These variables can be plain variables as follows:

key: A
value: B

They can depend on other Render resources like databases:

key: DB_URL
fromDatabase:
  name: prod
  property: connectionString

The set of available properties is defined below.

The value of an environment variable can also be generated (only if the key doesn’t already exist).

key: APP_SECRET
generateValue: true

There are some environment variables which you don’t want to include in your YAML file and are not generated such as external secrets. For those, you can specify a placeholder environment variable with sync: false. This allows you to declare that an environment variable is expected without having to specify a value in your YAML file.

key: SOME_SECRET
sync: false

Environment variables can also be set all at once from an environment group:

fromGroup: my-env-group

Properties Available to Environment Variables

Environment variables can refer to the following properties on databases:

  • host
  • port
  • database is the PostgreSQL database name (not the friendly name)
  • user
  • password
  • connectionString

Environment variables can refer to the following properties on services:

  • host
  • port

When depending on other services, you must include the type and name of the target service. The service does not need to be in the YAML file. If it’s not in the YAML file, it must already exist in your Render account.

Here’s an example of an environment variable referring to a service property:

fromService:
  name: redis
  type: pserv
  property: host
render.yaml does not support variable interpolation. The best way to accomplish this is to pair environment variables with a build or start script that does the interpolation for you.

Disks

You can specify whether your service has a Disk attached to it. A disk must have a name, mountPath, and (optionally) a size in GB (sizeGB).

disk:
  name: redis-data
  mountPath: /opt/redis
  sizeGB: 10

Custom Domains

You can specify custom domains for your service in the domains field. If a domain is an apex domain, a www. subdomain will be added automatically and will redirect to the apex domain.

If a domain is a www. subdomain, the apex domain will be added automatically and will redirect to the www. domain.

Every web service is always accessible at its .onrender.com subdomain.

Plans

The service plan can be specified by name and is case insensitive. If it’s omitted, the plan will default to the “Starter” plan. The following values are valid for plans:

  • Starter
  • Standard
  • Standard Plus
  • Pro
  • Pro Plus

Docker Options

If your service is Docker-based, i.e. it has env: docker, then you can optionally specify the dockerfilePath and dockerContext. These are relative to your repo root. This is useful for mono-repo Docker services.

dockerfilePath: ./sub/Dockerfile
dockerContext: ./sub/src

Databases

You can create databases by defining them in render.yaml. A database only needs a name — all other fields are optional.

You can also set the PostgreSQL databaseName, user, and plan. The following two database specifications are both valid:

databases:
# db 1
- name: staging
# db 2
- name: prod
  plan: pro
  databaseName: prod_app
  user: app_user
Just like the dashboard, once a database is created, you can only change the plan it's on. Other `render.yaml` changes to database fields for an existing database will be ignored.
Also like the dashboard, Render may add a random suffix to a given databaseName.

Environment Groups

You can define environment groups in your YAML file.

  • Environment groups can have zero or more environment variables.
  • The environment variables in an environment group cannot depend on other resources, unlike the environment variables in a service. However, you can still generate environment variables within an environment group. The following is a valid environment group spec:
- name: conc-settings
  envVars:
  - key: CONCURRENCY
    value: 2
  - key: SECRET
    generateValue: true