Create a Site from Scratch

Published · Last updated: May 2026 · 3 min read

Who this is for

Users who want to provision a new website or web application on a server managed by CloudAIPilot.

Prerequisites

At least one server is running, has management mode Full, and is running Linux.
For application types other than static, the server must have a stack installed (e.g., LAMP, LEMP, Node stack). See KB-02-04: Bare vs Stack Servers.

How to Create a Site

Go to Servers and open the server where you want to create the site.
Click the Sites tab.
Click + Create Site.
Fill in the site creation form:

Field	Description
Site name	An internal label for this site in CloudAIPilot (e.g., `my-blog`)
Domain	Optional — your domain name (e.g., `myblog.com`). Leave blank to set it later.
App type	Type of application to create. See KB-03-02: App Types.
Environment	Defaults to `production`. Use `staging` for non-production copies.

Click Create Site.

What Happens Next

CloudAIPilot generates a plan — a set of steps that will be executed on the server to provision your site (directory creation, nginx vhost, database creation, etc.).

If autoConfirm is enabled in your settings (or you click Confirm and Deploy), the plan runs immediately.
If you are in draft mode, you will see a plan summary. Review the steps and click Confirm to proceed.

Progress is shown in the Activity Center (bell icon). The plan typically completes in 1–3 minutes.

After the Site Is Created

Once the plan completes:

The site appears in the Sites tab on the server.
If you entered a domain, the Nginx vhost is configured. Point your domain's DNS A record to the server's IP address to make it live.
For WordPress sites, the installer runs automatically.
SSL can be provisioned immediately if the domain is already pointing to the server — see KB-03-04: SSL Certificates.

What Success Looks Like

The site appears in the Sites list with status running. If a domain was set, visiting the domain in a browser shows the default page (or WordPress installer) served over HTTP.

Common Issues and Fixes

Issue	Likely cause	Fix
"MISSING_STACK" error	Server has no stack installed	Install a stack via Server Settings → Stack.
"DOMAIN_CONFLICT" error	Domain already used by another site	Use a different domain or remove it from the conflicting site first.
"UNSUPPORTED_OS" error	Server OS is Windows or unsupported	CloudAIPilot sites only support Linux servers.
Plan fails mid-way	SSH error, disk full, or package install failed	Check the Activity Center for the specific failed step. Try creating the site again after fixing the root cause.