Deploy Apps Without YAML

You can deploy apps without writing any YAML using NEXUS AI. No docker-compose.yml, no Kubernetes manifests, no CI/CD pipeline files. The CLI detects your framework and generates all the necessary configuration automatically.

YAML has become the default language of DevOps — but it's also one of the biggest sources of deployment friction. A single indentation error breaks a pipeline. Manifests grow to hundreds of lines. Engineers spend hours debugging whitespace instead of shipping features. NEXUS AI eliminates that entirely.

What YAML NEXUS AI replaces

Deploying without YAML: what it looks like

Instead of maintaining a docker-compose.yml and a GitHub Actions workflow YAML, a NEXUS AI deployment is a single command:

nexus deploy source \
  --repo https://github.com/your/repo \
  --name my-app \
  --provider gcp_cloud_run \
  --replicas 2

That's it. NEXUS AI handles framework detection, container build, cloud provisioning, TLS, and health checks. No YAML touched.

YAML-free CI/CD with NEXUS AI

If you use GitHub Actions, the NEXUS AI integration reduces your entire deployment pipeline to one step instead of a multi-stage YAML workflow with Docker build, push, and deploy jobs:

- name: Deploy
  run: nexus deploy redeploy --deployment-id ${{ secrets.NEXUSAI_DEPLOYMENT_ID }}
  env:
    NEXUSAI_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NEXUSAI_TOKEN }}
Deploy without YAML →

Frequently asked questions

Why do developers hate YAML for deployments?

YAML is whitespace-sensitive, verbose, and error-prone. A single indentation mistake in a Kubernetes manifest can break a deployment. It forces application engineers to learn infrastructure configuration instead of writing code.

What replaces YAML in NEXUS AI deployments?

CLI flags and AI-driven framework detection. Instead of writing docker-compose.yml or Kubernetes manifests, you pass options like --provider, --replicas, and --env directly to the nexus CLI.

Does NEXUS AI work without a CI/CD pipeline YAML file?

Yes. For simple projects, nexus deploy redeploy from the terminal is all you need. For automated pipelines, the integration is a single GitHub Actions step replacing multi-step YAML workflows.

Can I still use my existing YAML config with NEXUS AI?

You don't need to — but if you have an existing Dockerfile or CI pipeline, NEXUS AI works alongside them. Source-based deployment is opt-in; you can also deploy pre-built container images with nexus deploy create --image your/image:tag.