deno compile

You can create a self-contained executable out of your app with the deno compile command. It will include all assets and dependencies. This executable can run on any platform without requiring Deno to be installed.

Building the executable#

Terminal

# Build your app first
deno task build
# Generate self-contained executable
deno compile --output my-app --include _fresh -A _fresh/compiled-entry.js

The --include _fresh flag ensures that all built assets (JavaScript bundles, CSS, static files) are embedded in the binary.

Configuration#

The compiled entry supports two environment variables out of the box:

• PORT to set the port number (PORT=4000 ./my-app)
• HOSTNAME to set the host name (HOSTNAME=0.0.0.0 ./my-app)

Cross-compilation#

You can compile for a different platform using the --target flag:

Terminal

deno compile --target x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu --output my-app --include _fresh -A _fresh/compiled-entry.js

See the deno compile documentation for a full list of supported targets.

Limitations#

• The executable size includes the Deno runtime (~50-130 MB depending on platform)
• Dynamic imports that aren’t statically analyzable may not be included
• Native npm packages with platform-specific binaries need to match the target platform