Services
Understand service types, service sources, and operational controls in Helipod projects.
A Helipod service is the primary deployment target in your project.
Under the hood, each service runs as a containerized workload with its own deployment history, runtime metrics, configuration, and release controls.
What a service contains
Each service keeps operational state such as:
- Source reference (repository, container image, or local CLI deployment)
- Build and start behavior
- Runtime variables and secrets
- Deployment attempts and status history
- Logs and performance metrics
Changes to service configuration are typically staged and then applied through a deployment action so teams can review rollout impact.
Service types
Persistent services
Always-on workloads for APIs, web apps, workers, queues, and similar long-running processes.
Scheduled jobs
Task-based workloads that run on schedule and exit after completion.
Creating a service
From the project canvas:
- Open your project.
- Click New (or the equivalent create action).
- Choose a source type.
- Confirm service settings and deploy.
Helipod supports service creation from:
- Git repositories
- Docker/container images
- Local directory deployment through CLI flow
- Empty service scaffolding for staged setup
Accessing service settings
Open a service tile in the canvas and move to the Settings tab to configure source, runtime commands, variables, scaling, and deployment behavior.
Service source options
You can attach one of the following source modes:
- Repository source (Git provider)
- Container image source
- Local source via CLI upload/deploy flow
If a Dockerfile is present in repository mode, Helipod can use it as the build contract.
Deploying from a Git repository
Connect a repository and select branch/source settings for the service.
When autodeploy is enabled, new commits can trigger build and deployment automatically according to your environment and deployment rules.
Deploying public container images
Helipod supports standard public registry paths. Example formats:
bitnami/redisghcr.io/org/repository:tagregistry.gitlab.com/group/project:tagmcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspire-dashboardquay.io/organization/repository:tag
Private container images
Private registry deployments require valid registry credentials configured in the service source settings.
For sensitive workloads, keep credentials in service variables and rotate access tokens periodically.
Updating image-based services
For image-based services, Helipod can detect new image versions and stage updates.
Teams may use:
- Manual update approval
- Scheduled update windows
- Controlled maintenance windows for safer production updates
Because image updates trigger redeployments, plan updates to avoid user-facing disruption.
Deploying from a local directory
Typical CLI-based flow:
- Create an empty service target.
- Move into your local project directory.
- Link local context to the Helipod project.
- Deploy to the selected service target.
This path is useful for quick tests, migrations, or workflows where repository integration is not yet configured.
Monorepo considerations
In monorepos, define clear service root paths and build contexts to avoid cross-service dependency confusion.
Ephemeral and persistent storage
Services have ephemeral runtime storage by default. If data must survive redeployments, attach persistent volumes.
Use persistent volumes for:
- User-generated files
- Stateful service data
- Cache/data that must survive restart cycles
Monitoring and diagnostics
Service-level observability includes:
- Build logs
- Deploy logs
- Runtime logs
- Resource metrics
These signals should be reviewed together when diagnosing rollout regressions.
Deployment approvals
Teams can enforce approval gates before selected deployments are applied, especially for protected branches or production environments.
This is useful when your process requires release review, change ownership checks, or compliance traceability.
Templates and repeatable stacks
Templates package common service combinations so teams can launch known-good architecture patterns faster.
Constraints and naming
Use short, descriptive service names and consistent naming conventions to keep project canvases readable as your service count grows.
Deleting a service
Delete services from project settings or service controls after confirming there are no active dependencies (domains, volumes, or downstream service references).
Next
- Back to Build & Deploy
- Read Best Practices
- Continue to Support
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