App Types — Which One to Choose
Who this is for
Users creating a new site who are unsure which App Type to select.
Overview
When creating a site, CloudAIPilot asks you to choose an app type. This tells the provisioning system which software to install and configure on the server. The right choice depends on what kind of website or application you are building.
Available App Types
WordPress
Select this for WordPress-based websites and blogs.
What CloudAIPilot does:
- Creates the document root directory
- Creates a MySQL/MariaDB database and user
- Downloads and installs the latest WordPress
- Configures Nginx with PHP-FPM
- Optionally provisions SSL after DNS is pointed
Required stack: LAMP or LEMP (PHP + MySQL + Nginx or Apache)
Use for: Marketing sites, blogs, eCommerce (WooCommerce), CMS-driven sites
Static
Select this for static HTML/CSS/JS websites with no server-side processing.
What CloudAIPilot does:
- Creates the document root directory
- Configures Nginx to serve static files
Required stack: None — a static site can be deployed on a Bare server (just Nginx required)
Use for: Landing pages, documentation sites, portfolios, pre-built frontend apps (React, Vue, Svelte builds)
Unknown / Custom
Select this when your application is not one of the listed types — for example, a custom Node.js app, a Django app, or any non-standard setup.
What CloudAIPilot does:
- Creates the document root directory
- Creates a basic Nginx reverse proxy configuration pointing to a specified port
Required stack: LEMP or the appropriate stack for your app
Use for: Custom web applications where you will manage the app process yourself (e.g., PM2, systemd service)
How App Type Affects Features
| Feature | WordPress | Static | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic DB setup | Yes | No | No |
| PHP-FPM config | Yes | No | No |
| Git deploy support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File manager | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SFTP access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cron tab | Yes | No | Yes |
| Clone support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Can I Change the App Type After Creation?
No. The app type is set at creation time and determines how the server is configured. To change the app type, you must delete the site and create a new one.