Application Sources

Choose how to deploy your application with Helm Charts, GitHub repositories, or Docker images

Application sources define where your application comes from and how Akua packages it for deployment. You can use Helm charts from Artifact Hub, GitHub repositories that build automatically, or pre-built Docker images. When you create a product with multiple sources, Akua composes them into a single package definition and provisions a per-installation repository for every customer.

Source types

GitHub Repos

Auto-build from source code

Helm Charts

Deploy stacks from Artifact Hub

Docker Images

Deploy pre-built container images

GitHub repositories

Deploy applications directly from your GitHub repositories with automatic builds using Railpack. Connect your GitHub accounts and organizations to access your repositories.

When you connect a GitHub repository, Railpack analyzes your code and automatically detects your language and framework. It builds containerized applications without requiring a Dockerfile, with smart defaults for Node.js, Python, Go, Ruby, and more. This means you can push code and get containerized applications ready to deploy.

GitHub repositories work well for custom applications and APIs, rapid development and iteration, and modern web frameworks like Next.js, SvelteKit, FastAPI, and Django. They’re also ideal for monorepos, microservices, and team projects where you want to integrate with your existing development workflow.

Connecting GitHub

Akua uses a GitHub App for secure, scoped access to your repositories. This provides enhanced security without storing personal access tokens, granular permissions to control which repositories are accessible, and team access so all workspace members can use connected repositories. You can connect both personal and organization accounts.

Connect GitHub Account

Get started by connecting your GitHub account or organization

Supported languages and frameworks

Railpack supports 10+ languages and frameworks with no configuration required for most projects:

• Node.js - Express, Next.js, SvelteKit, Remix, Nuxt
• Python - Django, FastAPI, Flask
• Go - Gin, Echo, Chi
• Ruby - Rails, Sinatra
• Java - Spring Boot, Quarkus
• Rust - Actix, Rocket, Axum
• PHP - Laravel, Symfony

Deploying open source projects

Deploy open source projects that don’t have Helm charts or Docker images by forking them and deploying through GitHub repositories. This works for any application with source code, even if it hasn’t been containerized or packaged yet.

Fork the project on GitHub, connect your fork to Akua, and Railpack automatically detects the language and framework, builds the container image, and deploys it. You can customize the deployment configuration, add environment variables, and configure networking—all without writing a Dockerfile or creating a Helm chart.

This approach works well for projects that are still in development, applications that haven’t been packaged for Kubernetes, or when you want to deploy a specific version or fork with custom modifications. You get the benefits of automatic containerization without the complexity of manual Docker builds or Helm chart creation.

GitHub repositories use Akua’s reusable GitHub Actions workflows to build images automatically. The built images are deployed using Akua’s generic application Helm chart. See GitHub Actions and the generic chart for details.

Many open source projects can be deployed in minutes by forking and connecting the repository, even if they don’t have container images or Helm charts available.

Helm charts

Deploy applications from the Helm ecosystem via Artifact Hub. Helm charts provide production-ready configurations maintained by the community, with thousands of applications available for databases, web servers, monitoring tools, and more.

You can search Artifact Hub directly in the product creation flow, selecting from popular applications or searching for specific packages. Akua packages your Helm chart sources and provisions a per-installation repository for every customer. Configure pricing and make it available to customers.

Helm charts work well for standard software stacks like PostgreSQL, Redis, NGINX, WordPress, and Grafana. They’re also ideal for enterprise applications with complex configurations and teams that already know Helm. You can customize applications using inputs, and many charts come from verified publishers for added reliability.

Multiple Helm charts are composed into a single package definition with all dependencies vendored into each installation’s repository.

Look for charts with verified publisher badges for added reliability and security.

Version selection

When creating application sources from Artifact Hub, you can select specific chart versions to control which version of a chart is used in your deployments. This allows you to:

• Pin to specific chart versions for stability
• Track different chart versions across multiple products
• Manage version updates independently for each application source

Support for selecting chart version in Artifact Hub when creating application sources is planned for a future release. This will provide more granular control over chart version selection and tracking.

Docker images

Deploy pre-built container images from any public registry. Docker images give you full control over the build process, work with any programming language or stack, and let you leverage images you’ve already built.

You can search for images from Docker Hub or AWS ECR Public Gallery, or manually enter an image URL from any public registry. Akua pulls the image from the registry, automatically generates a versioned package, and deploys it to your selected clusters. Configure pricing and availability to make it available to customers.

Docker images work well for legacy applications with complex build requirements, multi-stage builds with specific optimizations, images requiring special dependencies or configurations, and teams with established Docker workflows.

Searchable registries

Akua provides search functionality for two major container registries:

Docker Hub - Search millions of official and community-maintained container images. Docker Hub includes official images from software vendors and community contributions covering databases, web servers, development tools, and more.

AWS ECR Public Gallery - Search the AWS ECR Public Gallery, which aggregates container images from multiple registry aliases including Amazon, Docker, Bitnami, and AWS. ECR Public Gallery provides verified, production-ready images with detailed metadata and security scanning.

Manual image input

You can also manually enter any Docker image URL from any public registry. This works with:

• Docker Hub (docker.io/library/nginx:latest)
• GitHub Container Registry (ghcr.io/owner/image:tag)
• AWS ECR (public.ecr.aws/registry/repo:tag)
• Quay.io (quay.io/owner/image:tag)
• Any other public OCI-compatible registry

Image format

Specify images using standard Docker notation:

nginx:latest
redis:7-alpine
ghcr.io/owner/image:v1.2.3
docker.io/library/postgres:15
public.ecr.aws/bitnami/wordpress:latest

For private images, configure your registry credentials in Settings → Registries. Akua’s registry proxy handles authentication automatically. Learn more →

Package generation

When you create a product with multiple sources, Akua composes them into a single package definition. Each version has a semantic version (for example, 0.1.0, 0.1.1). When a customer installs the product, Akua provisions a private installation repository with the vendored sources, the customer’s inputs, and the rendered Kubernetes manifests.

Learn more

How Akua packages installations.

Choosing the right source

Select the best deployment method for your use case:

Use Case	Recommended Source	Why
Standard database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB)	Helm Charts	Battle-tested configurations, easy clustering
Custom web API	GitHub Repo	Fast iteration, automatic builds
Existing containerized app	Docker Image	Full control, existing workflows
Open source applications	Helm Charts	Community maintained, well documented
Rapid prototyping	GitHub Repo	Quick deployments, no container knowledge needed
Microservices	GitHub Repo or Docker	Flexible, supports both approaches

Security considerations

Helm Charts

Verify publisher badges before deployment. Review chart source code when possible. Keep charts updated for security patches. Use Akua’s built-in scanning for vulnerabilities.

GitHub Repositories

Ensure repository is private if it contains secrets. Use environment variables for sensitive configuration. Review Railpack build logs for unexpected behavior. Enable branch protection on source repositories.

Docker Images

Only use images from trusted registries. Verify image signatures when available. Scan images for vulnerabilities before deployment. Use specific version tags instead of latest.

Related topics

Package generation

How Akua creates a per-install package from your sources.

Installation repositories

The git-backed model behind every installation.

Products

Package your sources into sellable products.

Docker Compose converter

Convert Docker Compose files to Kubernetes resources.