---
title: Deploy your first app
description: Run a web server on a device, change its response, and deploy your edit.
---

You'll deploy a TypeScript web server, open it in your browser, and change the
response. Use a Linux or WendyOS device you already have, or a local virtual
device. No Cloud account or local Node.js installation is needed.

<Figure src="/latest/images/get-started/wendy-run-laptop.webp" alt="A laptop on a desk with a terminal showing wendy run building and deploying an app" caption="One command builds your app, sends it to the device and streams the logs back to your terminal." />

Already have a Dockerfile? You can keep it. This walkthrough creates a sample project; using the platform does not require converting an existing build to a Stagefile.

## Before you start

Use macOS or Linux. On Windows, use a WSL2 Linux terminal, with your project and
container builder inside WSL2, for every command in this tutorial.

The app builds in a container. On macOS, Wendy offers to install Docker Desktop
through Homebrew. On Linux and WSL2, install and start
[Docker with Buildx](https://docs.docker.com/get-started/get-docker/) before continuing.

Choose where the app will run:

- On your device, finish its [setup guide](../../installation/) and confirm that
  `wendy discover` lists it. If WendyOS or Wendy Agent is already installed, you
  can use it directly. A Linux agent installed with **Only this computer** does
  not appear in discovery. Follow [local Linux setup](../../installation/linux/#verify-the-installation)
  and pass `--device 127.0.0.1:50051` wherever this tutorial selects a device.
- For a local virtual device, no hardware setup is needed. Wendy creates it in
  step 3 and offers to install QEMU. Allow 4 GiB of VM memory and several minutes
  for the initial image download. See [VM requirements](../../installation/wendyos-virtual-machine/#what-youll-need).

## 1. Install Wendy

Run this on your development computer, or skip it if `wendy --version` already works:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://install.wendy.dev/cli.sh | bash
wendy --version
```

You should see a version number. If the command is not found, open a new terminal and retry.

## 2. Create an app

```bash
wendy init hello-wendy --target wendyos --language node --template simple-api --var APP_ID=hello-wendy --assistant skip --git-init no
cd hello-wendy
```

Wendy creates a TypeScript server in `src/index.ts`, a Dockerfile for building it,
and `wendy.json` for deployment settings. Keep this terminal in `hello-wendy`
for the remaining commands.

## 3. Run it

```bash
wendy run
```

Select your device and press Enter. To create a virtual device, press Tab to open
**Simulator**, press **c**, and choose **Generic WendyOS**. This VM runs your web
server; it does not include a simulated robot.

If Wendy skips the picker because you have a saved default, use
`wendy device unset-default` and run the command again to choose a different target.

Wendy builds and deploys the app, then streams its logs. Wait for `App reachable at`
and open the printed URL if your browser does not open automatically. You should see:

```json
{"message":"hello-world"}
```

That response came from the app on your selected device. Keep the printed URL for the next step.
If it does not appear, follow [troubleshoot your first deployment](../../errors/).

## 4. Change the response

Press Ctrl+C to leave the attached run. Watch mode cannot show the device picker,
so set the target explicitly. Replace the value below with your device's hostname
or IP address from `wendy discover`. For a VM, use `vm:<name>` with the name from
`wendy vm list`.
This is the agent's address, not the app's HTTP URL.

```bash
WENDY_TARGET='your-device.local'
wendy run --device "$WENDY_TARGET" --watch
```

Keep this terminal for the remaining commands. Open `src/index.ts` in your editor. Replace:

```typescript
res.json({ message: "hello-world" });
```

with:

```typescript
res.json({ message: "Hello from my Wendy app!" });
```

Save the file. Wait for the redeployment to finish in your terminal, then refresh
the app's URL. You should now see:

```json
{"message":"Hello from my Wendy app!"}
```

## 5. Finish

Press Ctrl+C to exit watch mode, then stop the app on the same target:

```bash
wendy --device "$WENDY_TARGET" device apps stop hello-wendy
```

Watch mode leaves the app running until you stop it.
If you created a VM, find its name with `wendy vm list` and stop it with
`wendy vm stop <name>`. Your project stays in `hello-wendy`.

To work on it again, set `WENDY_TARGET` in your terminal as above, then run
`wendy run --device "$WENDY_TARGET" --watch` from that directory.

## Next steps

- [Understand the generated server](../../guides/tutorials/typescript/generated-server/) to see how the source, Dockerfile, and `wendy.json` work together.
- Build in another language with the [app tutorials](../../guides/tutorials/).
- Give your app a camera, microphone, or GPU with [hardware access](../../hardware/).