/servd

name: servd
description: "Servd (servd.host) — Craft-specialised managed hosting for Craft CMS. Covers git push-to-deploy with the optional servd.yaml build config, local → staging → production environments with uni-directional Project Config sync, the servd/craft-asset-storage plugin (S3-backed Flysystem volumes on the svdcdn.com CDN, off-server image transforms, Imager-X/ImageOptimize integrations), Servd's static caching (full vs tag-based purge, {% dynamicInclude %}, CSRF injection, cache-busting) and running Blitz alongside it in reverse-proxy mode, MariaDB/MySQL databases over an SSH tunnel, automatic + manual backups, the Dedicated Queue Runner, environment variables and secrets, the ephemeral load-balanced filesystem (Redis + remote volumes for runtime files), plugin/feature constraints, and Servd-vs-Craft-Cloud differences."
when_to_use: "Triggers on: servd.yaml, servd/craft-asset-storage, servd-asset-storage plugin handle, SERVD_PROJECT_SLUG, SERVD_SECURITY_KEY, SERVD_BUNDLE_HASH, files.svdcdn.com, Servd static caching, {% dynamicInclude %} (Servd), servd-asset-storage/clone, servd-asset-storage/local/pull-database, push-assets, clear-caches/servd-static-cache, clear-caches/servd-edge-caches, Dedicated Queue Runner, Servd Asset Platform, deploy to Servd, host Craft on Servd, Servd vs Craft Cloud. Do NOT trigger for Craft Cloud (use the craft-cloud skill), fortrabbit (use the craft-fortrabbit skill), generic Craft deployment on Forge/bare metal (craftcms/deployment.md), or general DDEV local dev unrelated to Servd parity (ddev)."

Servd — Managed Hosting for Craft CMS

Reference for Servd (servd.host), a Craft-specialised managed hosting platform. Covers git push-to-deploy and the `servd.yaml` build config, the local → staging → production workflow, the `servd/craft-asset-storage` plugin, Servd's static caching (and running Blitz alongside it), databases over SSH, backups, the queue runner, the ephemeral filesystem, and how Servd differs from Craft Cloud.

This skill is scoped to **Servd specifically** — what's different on Servd vs running Craft yourself on Forge or bare metal, and vs Pixel & Tonic's Craft Cloud. For generic Craft deployment, see the `craftcms` skill's `deployment.md`. For Craft Cloud, see the `craft-cloud` skill. For fortrabbit, see the `craft-fortrabbit` skill.

Companion Skills — Load When Needed

• **`craftcms`** — When the Servd topic intersects plugin or module PHP (ephemeral-filesystem guards, queue-job design, asset filesystem code).
• **`craft-site`** — When Servd intersects front-end templating (`{% dynamicInclude %}` islands in cached pages, transform usage, CSRF in cached forms).
• **`ddev`** — For local development; Servd has no first-party local environment, so DDEV is the standard local stack.
• **`craft-php-guidelines`** — When editing plugin PHP to add ephemeral-filesystem checks.

Documentation

Authoritative sources used to write this skill (Servd's own docs):

• Docs landing: https://servd.host/docs
• The Servd workflow: https://servd.host/docs/the-servd-workflow
• Node build step (servd.yaml): https://servd.host/docs/node-build-step
• Asset volumes & filesystems: https://servd.host/docs/servd-asset-volumes-and-filesystems
• Installing the plugin: https://servd.host/docs/installing-the-servd-plugin
• Static caching: https://servd.host/docs/static-caching
• Caching with Blitz: https://servd.host/docs/caching-with-blitz
• Handling runtime-created files: https://servd.host/docs/handling-runtime-created-files
• Dedicated queue runner: https://servd.host/docs/dedicated-queue-runner
• Backup & restore: https://servd.host/docs/backup-restore
• Plugin console commands: https://servd.host/docs/servd-plugin-console-commands
• Plugin source: https://github.com/servdhost/craft-asset-storage

Per-claim URLs appear in each reference file. Last verified against the docs on 2026-05-30. Some operational details (cron, exact plan tiers) are not in the public docs and are flagged as **Verify** where they appear.

What's Different on Servd vs Self-Hosted

Each row is a place self-hosted habits will mislead you.

| Concern | Self-hosted | Servd | |---|---|---| | Config file | `.env`, `config/*.php`, web-server config | **`servd.yaml`** at repo root for the build step (optional; overrides dashboard); platform settings + runtime env vars in the Servd dashboard | | Deploy | Whatever you've wired | **Git push-to-deploy** (GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket or any SSH host) → Composer install + optional Node build | | Environments | Yours to define | Fixed **local → staging → production**, **uni-directional**; `allowAdminChanges` off everywhere except local | | Filesystem | Local disk | **Ephemeral + load-balanced** — disk writes don't persist; use Redis (Craft data cache) or a remote asset volume | | Assets | Local or your own S3 config | **`servd/craft-asset-storage`** — S3-backed Flysystem on the `*.files.svdcdn.com` CDN, auto-separated per environment | | Image transforms | Native / Imager-X / ImageOptimize on-server | **Off-server** transforms via the Servd Asset Platform; Imager-X uses `transformer: 'servd'` | | Database | Whatever you installed | **MariaDB or MySQL 8**, reached over an **SSH tunnel** | | Page caching | Blitz or similar | **Servd static caching** built in; Blitz runs **alongside** it in reverse-proxy mode (not instead of) | | Queue | You run a worker | Default AJAX-triggered; opt into the **Dedicated Queue Runner** (paid plans) for isolated immediate processing | | Cron | `crontab` | **Not documented** as a user-configurable feature — design around the queue (**Verify** for a given plan) | | Redis | You install it | **Provided** — Craft's data cache is auto-mapped to a stateful Redis | | SSH | `ssh user@server` | **Yes** — SSH sessions (used e.g. for the DB tunnel) | | Env vars | `.env` | Dashboard-managed per environment (not a committed `.env`) |

Servd vs Craft Cloud (quick contrast)

Both are managed Craft hosting with git deplo