Deploy Deno TypeScript Apps on OCI Container Instances

Why This Stack Matters

Deno addresses TypeScript development pain points: type safety without configuration overhead, secure module management, and built-in tooling. Paired with OCI Container Instances (managed compute, no VM overhead) and NoSQL persistence, it creates a powerful stack for digital-native companies building scalable applications rapidly.

The Deployment Workflow

Getting Started: Step by Step

1. Install Deno

curl -fsSL https://deno.land/install.sh | sh

2. Clone the sample repository

git clone https://github.com/gpoul/tf-deno-container-instance.git
cd tf-deno-container-instance/

3. Set the NoSQL compartment ID

export NOSQL_COMPARTMENT_OCID=ocid1.compartment.oc1..aaaaaaaax7dexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexample

4. Load the sample database

cd fresh-dinosaurs/
deno install     # Install dependencies
deno run load-db # Create and populate NoSQL table
cd ..

5. Configure Terraform variables (create terraform.tfvars):

tenancy_ocid = "ocid1.tenancy.oc1..aaaaaaaaxmplsampletenancyocidnotreal1234567890abcdefg"
compartment_ocid = "ocid1.compartment.oc1..aaaaaaaax7dexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexample"
region = "eu-frankfurt-1"
availability_domain_index = 0
container_instance_name = "deno-fresh-dinosaurs"
container_image_url = "ghcr.io/gpoul/fresh-dinosaurs:latest"
nosql_compartment_ocid = "ocid1.compartment.oc1..aaaaaaaax7dexampleexampleexampleexampleexampleexample"

6. Deploy infrastructure

terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply

Terraform outputs a dinosaursUrl for testing. Access it to verify the application loads data from NoSQL.

Key Considerations

Stateless design: The container instance is ephemeral. All state lives in NoSQL, allowing seamless horizontal scaling.

Automated infrastructure: Terraform handles networking, compute provisioning, and optional DNS configuration, reducing manual setup from hours to minutes.

Cost awareness: OCI resources incur charges. Clean up with terraform destroy, but manually delete the NoSQL table since Terraform doesn’t manage it.

Image flexibility: The sample uses a public image, but you can push your own to a container registry and reference it.

When to Use This Approach

This stack excels for teams building stateless web services, APIs, or microservices that need fast iteration and auto-scaling. Deno’s type safety reduces runtime errors, while OCI’s managed services eliminate operational overhead.

The tutorial provides a complete, production-ready template for cloud-native TypeScript development. Whether you’re starting a new project or migrating existing services, this deployment path minimizes infrastructure complexity without sacrificing capability.

Ready to deploy? Start with the sample repository and adapt it to your application logic.