Shipplane Lite

Turn the shell scripts you run by hand into workflows you can watch, re-run, and read the logs from. One binary, your own machine, no database to set up.

A workflow

Provisioning a fresh VPS, in your config file:

import { workflow } from "@shipplane/core";

const ssh = {
  ssh_host: "203.0.113.10",
  ssh_port: 22,
  ssh_user: "root",
  ssh_private_key: "/home/me/.ssh/id_ed25519",
};

export const provision = workflow("provision-web-01")
  .task("docker", {
    type: "@shipplane/remote_cmd",
    params: {
      ...ssh,
      cmd: `
        curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
        sh get-docker.sh
        docker --version
      `,
    },
  })
  .task("dokploy", {
    type: "@shipplane/remote_cmd",
    dependsOn: ["docker"],
    params: {
      ...ssh,
      cmd: `
        curl -sSL https://dokploy.com/install.sh -o install-dokploy.sh
        sh install-dokploy.sh
      `,
    },
  });

cmd is passed to the remote shell as-is, so a template literal keeps a multi-step command readable. Leading indentation is ignored by the shell.

Start shipplane-lite serve and that workflow is a graph in the UI. Run it, and each box turns green as it finishes, with the remote output streaming underneath. A step that exits non-zero stops the run and shows you which one — no scrolling back through terminal history to find where it broke.

One workflow per host, committed to git, and every box you own has a setup you can read and re-run.

Who it's for

One person running their own machines. Deploying a side project, provisioning a VPS, or any multistep process where "did that actually work?" is a question you have asked out loud.

Not built for teams operating a fleet — there are no users, roles, or audit logs.

What Lite does not do

Schedule runs. You start a run from the UI, the CLI, or the HTTP API. For a schedule, call the CLI from cron or a systemd timer.
Send notifications. Check results in the UI, or use the CLI's exit code to trigger your own alert.
Track desired state. Lite runs the commands you give it. Re-running does whatever your script does, so write idempotent steps.

What's inside

Shipplane Lite (@shipplane/liteapp) wires together the Shipplane workflow packages into one deployable app:

@shipplane/core runs the workflow graph, deciding task order from dependsOn and handling retries, timeouts, cancellation, and logs.
@shipplane/orchestrator dispatches each task to an in-memory worker.
@shipplane/visualizer-react renders the workflow graph and editor in the built-in UI.
An HTTP server exposes a JSON API and serves the UI.
A CLI runs workflows and streams logs from the terminal using the same binary.
SQLite (better-sqlite3) stores workflow definitions, runs, and events.
A task registry provides two built-in task types and supports custom types through the config file.
Lite sends no telemetry. Workflow definitions, runs, and logs remain in your local SQLite file.

Next steps

Installation — install the binary and start the server.
Configuration — HTTP host and port, config file, and workflow seeding.
CLI — run workflows and follow logs from the terminal.
HTTP API — the JSON API behind the UI.
Registry — the two built-in task types and how to add your own.

#Shipplane Lite

#A workflow

#Who it's for

#What Lite does not do