Render

Render can run the versioned Bifrost image as a web service. The deployment below uses PostgreSQL so configuration and logs survive service replacement.

Support level: Preview. This guide is not continuously exercised against a live Render service. Render image services require linux/amd64, which is present in the Bifrost release manifest.

Compatibility summary

Model	Compatibility	Constraint
One OSS replica with Render persistent disk and SQLite	Preview	SQLite is OSS-only; the disk is single-instance and disables zero-downtime deploys.
One replica with external PostgreSQL 16+	Preview	Compatible with ephemeral replacement; live qualification remains required.
Multiple OSS replicas with DB-managed config	Not supported	OSS processes do not synchronize in-memory configuration.
Enterprise mesh	Unqualified	Render web services expose one HTTP port; peer discovery and TCP+UDP cluster networking are not documented here.

Bifrost Enterprise requires PostgreSQL 16 or later for both stores and does not support the SQLite alternative on this page. See Bifrost Deployment Requirements for the shared container values.

Deploy Bifrost

Render does not provide a CLI command that fully creates an image-backed web service. The steps below minimize dashboard work and make every Bifrost value explicit.

Step 1: Create the Bifrost configuration

cat > config.json <<'JSON'
{
  "$schema": "https://www.getbifrost.ai/schema",
  "encryption_key": "env.BIFROST_ENCRYPTION_KEY",
  "setup_token": "env.BIFROST_SETUP_TOKEN",
  "client": {
    "enforce_auth_on_inference": true
  },
  "config_store": {
    "enabled": true,
    "type": "postgres",
    "config": {"host": "env.PG_HOST", "port": "5432", "user": "env.PG_USER", "password": "env.PG_PASSWORD", "db_name": "env.PG_DATABASE", "ssl_mode": "require"}
  },
  "logs_store": {
    "enabled": true,
    "type": "postgres",
    "config": {"host": "env.PG_HOST", "port": "5432", "user": "env.PG_USER", "password": "env.PG_PASSWORD", "db_name": "env.PG_DATABASE", "ssl_mode": "require"}
  }
}
JSON

base64 < config.json | tr -d '\n'

Copy the printed base64 value. It contains no database password; the sensitive values remain separate Render secret environment variables.

Step 2: Create the web service

In Render, choose New → Web Service → Existing Image, then set:

Render field	Value
Image	`docker.io/maximhq/bifrost:<BIFROST_VERSION>`
Health path	`/health`
Docker command	`/bin/sh -c 'printf "%s" "$BIFROST_CONFIG_B64" \| base64 -d > /app/data/config.json && exec /app/docker-entrypoint.sh'`

Step 3: Add environment variables and deploy

Add these values in Environment. Mark the password, encryption key, setup token, and encoded configuration as secret.

APP_HOST=0.0.0.0
APP_PORT=10000
PORT=10000
BIFROST_CONFIG_B64=<BASE64_OUTPUT_FROM_STEP_1>
PG_HOST=<POSTGRES_HOST>
PG_USER=<POSTGRES_USER>
PG_PASSWORD=<POSTGRES_PASSWORD>
PG_DATABASE=<POSTGRES_DATABASE>
BIFROST_ENCRYPTION_KEY=<STABLE_ENCRYPTION_KEY>
BIFROST_SETUP_TOKEN=<SETUP_TOKEN>

Deploy one instance. Render Postgres is one option; any PostgreSQL 16 or later server reachable from the service is valid. The configuration requires authentication on inference routes. Use the setup token to create the first admin account, then create a virtual key before sending inference traffic or sharing the public service URL with clients.

Step 4: Verify

curl --fail --show-error https://<RENDER_HOSTNAME>/health

Inspect the Render logs if the health check does not pass. Bifrost must be able to resolve and connect to the configured PostgreSQL host during startup.

One-click status

Render supports a Deploy to Render button backed by a root render.yaml. Bifrost does not publish that Blueprint yet. A safe Blueprint must pin a tested Bifrost image and provide a reviewed configuration/secret flow; it would then need an automated update and smoke test for every Bifrost release. This guide therefore does not link to an unverified button.

SQLite storage alternative (OSS only)

This alternative is available only for OSS Bifrost. For a single-instance SQLite deployment, create config.json from the SQLite configuration, encode it as shown in Step 1, and keep the same Docker command. Remove the PostgreSQL environment variables, attach a paid persistent disk at /app/data, and keep one instance. Verify that the disk is writable by container UID 1000 before storing customer configuration. A Render disk is attached to one service instance and prevents zero-downtime replacement. Enterprise deployments must use PostgreSQL 16 or later instead.

External access

Render’s web-service URL and managed TLS are one optional frontend implementation. A private service plus an external gateway is also valid. The frontend must meet the shared HTTP, health, SSE, WebSocket, timeout, and forwarded-header contract.

Scaling and upgrades

OSS persistent-disk SQLite: one instance and a brief interruption during replacement.
PostgreSQL-backed OSS configuration: one instance.
File-only OSS: several instances only with identical immutable configuration and no shared SQLite.
Enterprise: do not claim mesh support until peer networking and the exact Enterprise release are qualified; broker mode is an advanced alternative to evaluate.

For updates, deploy an immutable tag/digest and retain it in the registry for rollback. Image-backed services do not redeploy automatically merely because a tag’s digest changes. Follow the upgrade guidance.

Troubleshooting

Port not detected: set both APP_PORT=10000 and PORT=10000.
Disk deployment exits: verify /app/data ownership/write access for UID 1000.
Configuration disappears: no persistent disk was attached and stores remained local.
No zero-downtime rollout: this is a documented Render disk limitation, not a Bifrost health-check failure.
/health 503: inspect configured store connectivity, not only process state.

Domains, managed TLS, private networking, Render Postgres, disk snapshots, alerts, and log integrations are optional platform/production features. Complete the deployment verification checklist and see Enterprise clustering for multinode designs.

Managed Kubernetes

Hosted Containers

Config as Code

Enterprise Deployment

Common setup instructions

Compatibility summary

Deploy Bifrost

Step 1: Create the Bifrost configuration

Step 2: Create the web service

Step 3: Add environment variables and deploy

Step 4: Verify

One-click status

SQLite storage alternative (OSS only)

External access

Scaling and upgrades

Troubleshooting

​Compatibility summary

​Deploy Bifrost

​Step 1: Create the Bifrost configuration

​Step 2: Create the web service

​Step 3: Add environment variables and deploy

​Step 4: Verify

​One-click status

​SQLite storage alternative (OSS only)

​External access

​Scaling and upgrades

​Troubleshooting

Compatibility summary

Deploy Bifrost

Step 1: Create the Bifrost configuration

Step 2: Create the web service

Step 3: Add environment variables and deploy

Step 4: Verify

One-click status

SQLite storage alternative (OSS only)

External access

Scaling and upgrades

Troubleshooting