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Version: Next

Running your server

As you build, one command keeps your server, generated code, and app in sync, so a change shows up the moment you save. The serverpod start command does exactly that: it generates the latest code, runs your server with hot reload, and launches your companion Flutter apps, all inside a single interactive terminal.

Run it from anywhere inside your project folder:

serverpod start

Use serverpod start for local development only. To run your server in production, deploy it instead. See Deploy to Serverpod Cloud or Custom hosting.

Save a file to hot-reload​

While serverpod start is watching, which is the default, saving a file recompiles and hot-reloads the affected code without a restart. This covers your endpoints, models, and generated client, so the running server and the generated code stay in step as you work. When a change cannot be hot-reloaded, press R in the terminal to hot restart.

To start without watching, pass --no-watch. The server then runs through dart run with no incremental compilation.

Manage migrations from the terminal​

On boot, serverpod start applies any pending migrations. While it runs, you handle further schema changes from the interactive terminal without leaving the session. The terminal lists these shortcuts along the bottom:

  • M creates a migration from your current model changes.
  • A applies pending migrations to the database.
  • P creates a repair migration to reconcile a database that has drifted from your migrations.

For how migrations work, see Migrations.

Choose a run mode​

By default, serverpod start runs in the development run mode. To start in another mode, forward a --mode argument to the server after --:

serverpod start -- --mode staging

The run mode selects which configuration and passwords the server loads. See Configuration for what each mode reads.

Run the server on its own​

By default, serverpod start also launches the companion Flutter apps marked auto_launch: true in the server's pubspec.yaml. To start only the server, disable that:

serverpod start --no-flutter

You can still launch an app on demand from the terminal afterwards. To run without the interactive terminal at all, for a script or CI, pass --no-tui.