Frappe Cloud & Press

Complete reference for Frappe Cloud managed hosting and Press self-hosted alternative.

Quick Reference: Frappe Cloud Concepts

Concept	Description
Site	A single Frappe instance with its own database, domain, and apps
Bench	A shared runtime environment hosting one or more sites with the same app versions
Server	The underlying infrastructure (VM) running one or more benches
Private Bench	A dedicated bench for a single customer with full control
Shared Bench	A Frappe-managed bench shared across multiple sites
Press	The open-source platform (AGPL-3.0) that powers Frappe Cloud
Agent	Flask application on each server enabling Press-to-site communication

Decision Tree: Frappe Cloud vs Self-Hosted

Choosing hosting strategy:
├── Small team, want zero ops overhead?
│   └── Frappe Cloud (Shared Bench) — fastest time to production
├── Need custom server configuration?
│   ├── Budget for managed infra? → Frappe Cloud (Private Bench)
│   └── Want full control? → Self-hosted with bench
├── Need to host Frappe for multiple clients?
│   ├── Want managed platform? → Frappe Cloud
│   └── Want own platform? → Self-hosted Press
├── Regulatory/compliance — data must stay on-premises?
│   └── Self-hosted (bench or Press)
└── Development/testing environment?
    ├── Quick prototype → Frappe Cloud (free trial)
    └── Long-term dev → Local bench installation

Frappe Cloud Overview

Frappe Cloud is a fully managed hosting platform for the Frappe stack. It handles server provisioning, backups, updates, monitoring, and scaling.

Core Features

Feature	Details
Automated backups	Scheduled daily backups with retention policies
Automatic updates	Managed update cycles for Frappe apps
Scaling	Horizontal and vertical scaling without downtime
Multi-tenancy	Multiple independent sites per bench
SSL/TLS	Automatic certificate provisioning and renewal
Monitoring	Real-time server and site monitoring
Role-based access	Granular permissions for team members
Billing	Daily/monthly subscriptions, wallet credits, multiple payment methods

Infrastructure Options

Option	Use Case
Shared Bench	Cost-effective for small sites; Frappe manages the bench
Private Bench	Dedicated environment; custom app versions and update schedules
Dedicated Server	Full server for high-traffic or compliance requirements

Frappe Cloud Dashboard

Site Management

The dashboard provides centralized control for all site operations:

Create sites — Provision new sites on shared or private benches
Install/remove apps — Add or remove Frappe apps from sites
Backups — Manual and scheduled backups, restore from backup
Domain management — Add custom domains with automatic SSL
Site config — Edit site_config.json via the dashboard
Monitoring — View CPU, memory, disk usage, and request logs
Site actions — Migrate, update, suspend, archive, or transfer sites

Bench Management

Create benches — Set up shared or private benches
App management — Select apps and their versions/branches
Update scheduling — Control when benches receive updates
Environment variables — Set custom environment variables
SSH access — Connect to bench via SSH for debugging
Log browser — View application and error logs
Database access — Query the database via the dashboard

Server Management

Provision servers — Create servers across multiple cloud providers
Scale resources — Upgrade CPU, memory, and storage
Storage add-ons — Attach additional storage volumes
Server snapshots — Create and restore server snapshots

Deploying Apps on Frappe Cloud

Adding a Custom App

Navigate to Apps in the Frappe Cloud dashboard
Click Add App and provide the GitHub repository URL
Select the branch to deploy
Configure build settings if needed
The app becomes available for installation on sites within compatible benches

App Marketplace

Frappe Cloud includes a marketplace where developers can:

List apps with descriptions and pricing
Set compatibility requirements (Frappe version, dependencies)
Configure pricing models (free, one-time, subscription)
Manage payouts for commercial apps
Track installations and usage analytics

Deployment Workflow

Developer pushes code → Frappe Cloud detects update →
  Bench rebuild triggered → Assets compiled →
    Sites migrated → New version live

For Private Benches: Updates are controlled by the bench owner — NEVER auto-deployed without approval.

For Shared Benches: Frappe manages the update schedule.

Site Provisioning Workflow

Creating a New Site

Select bench — Choose shared or private bench
Choose plan — Select resource allocation (CPU, memory, storage)
Configure apps — Select which apps to install
Set domain — Use *.frappe.cloud subdomain or custom domain
Create — Frappe Cloud provisions the site (typically under 5 minutes)

Custom Domain Setup

Navigate to site Domains in the dashboard
Add your custom domain (e.g., erp.example.com)
Configure DNS: Add a CNAME record pointing to the Frappe Cloud proxy
Frappe Cloud verifies DNS and provisions SSL certificate automatically
ALWAYS wait for DNS propagation before expecting SSL to work (up to 48 hours)

Critical Rules

ALWAYS use CNAME records for custom domains (not A records)
NEVER transfer DNS to Frappe Cloud — only add CNAME records
ALWAYS verify SSL is active before switching production traffic
Custom domain SSL uses Let's Encrypt — auto-renews before expiry

Frappe Cloud vs Self-Hosted Comparison

Aspect	Frappe Cloud	Self-Hosted (bench)	Self-Hosted (Press)
Setup time	Minutes	Hours	Days
Server management	Managed	You manage	You manage
Backups	Automatic	Manual/cron	Automatic
Updates	Managed schedule	`bench update`	Managed via Press
SSL certificates	Automatic	Manual/certbot	Automatic
Scaling	Dashboard button	Manual	Dashboard
Multi-tenancy	Built-in	DNS multi-tenant	Built-in
Cost	Subscription	Infrastructure only	Infrastructure only
Custom server config	Limited	Full control	Full control
Data sovereignty	Frappe's infra	Your infra	Your infra
SSH access	Private bench only	Full	Full
Monitoring	Built-in	Set up yourself	Built-in
Support	Included	Community only	Community only

Press: Self-Hosted Frappe Cloud

What Is Press?

Press is the open-source platform (AGPL-3.0) that powers Frappe Cloud. Organizations can self-host Press to create their own managed hosting platform for Frappe applications.

GitHub: https://github.com/frappe/press

Architecture

Component	Technology	Role
Press	Frappe Framework	Platform management, billing, dashboard
Agent	Flask	Server-to-site communication
Docker	Container runtime	App packaging and deployment
Ansible	Automation	Server provisioning and configuration
Frappe UI	Vue.js	Dashboard frontend

Key Capabilities

Multi-server management — Provision and manage multiple servers
Site lifecycle — Create, update, migrate, backup, restore, archive sites
Bench management — Deploy benches with specific app versions
Billing system — Subscriptions, invoicing, wallet credits, ERP integration
Marketplace — App listing, pricing, payouts
Role-based access — Granular permissions per team and resource
Monitoring — Real-time metrics and alerting

When to Self-Host Press

You need to host Frappe for multiple clients/tenants
You want a managed platform but on your own infrastructure
You need full data sovereignty and regulatory compliance
You want to offer Frappe hosting as a service

When NOT to Self-Host Press

NEVER self-host Press for a single site — use bench directly
NEVER self-host Press without dedicated DevOps capacity
NEVER underestimate the operational overhead — Press itself requires maintenance

Self-Hosting Requirements

Dedicated servers (bare metal or VMs) with Ubuntu
DNS management for wildcard domains
Object storage for backups (S3-compatible)
SMTP service for transactional email
Familiarity with Ansible, Docker, and Frappe Framework

Frappe Cloud Limitations

What You CANNOT Do on Frappe Cloud

Install system-level packages (no root access on shared benches)
Modify Nginx/Supervisor configuration directly
Access raw database files (only SQL access via dashboard)
Run long-running background processes outside Frappe's job queue
Use non-standard ports or protocols

Shared Bench Limitations

No SSH access
No custom environment variables (use site_config.json instead)
Shared resources with other sites — performance may vary
Update schedule controlled by Frappe (not the site owner)

Private Bench Advantages Over Shared

SSH access for debugging
Custom environment variables
Controlled update schedule
Dedicated resources
Custom app versions and branches

Frappe Cloud Best Practices

Site Configuration

ALWAYS set maintenance_mode before large data imports
ALWAYS use the dashboard for site config changes (not direct file edits)
NEVER disable scheduler on Frappe Cloud — use pause_scheduler instead
ALWAYS test app updates on a staging site before production

Backup Strategy

Frappe Cloud creates automatic daily backups
ALWAYS create a manual backup before major changes
ALWAYS download and store backups off-platform periodically
NEVER rely solely on Frappe Cloud backups — maintain your own copies

Performance

Monitor site usage via the dashboard — upgrade plan before hitting limits
Use background jobs for heavy operations (not synchronous API calls)
Enable Redis caching for frequently accessed data
Review slow query logs via the database analyzer tool

Frappe Cloud DevOps Tools

Tool	Purpose
Log Browser	View application logs, error logs, scheduler logs
Database Analyzer	Run SQL queries, view slow queries, analyze indexes
Binlog Browser	View database change logs (binary log events)
SSH Access	Terminal access to private benches for debugging
Process Status	View running workers, scheduler status, job queue

Analytics Integrations

Frappe Cloud sites can connect to external analytics tools:

Frappe Insights (native)
Power BI (via API)
Metabase (via database connection)
Custom dashboards (via Frappe API)

Reference Files

File	Contents
examples.md	Cloud deployment workflow examples
anti-patterns.md	Common Frappe Cloud mistakes and fixes

frappe-ops-cloud