Uploading Your Project

When connecting a container node to a file source, you have two options:

Option	How	Best for
Folder upload	Select a folder directly - no zipping needed	Most cases
Zip upload	Create a zip and upload the file	Large projects, scripted uploads

Option 1 - Upload a folder directly

Select the folder option in the container node config and pick your project folder. Shoal handles everything automatically - no zipping required.

Shoal also automatically removes files that don't belong in a deployed container (dependencies, caches, build artefacts, editor config), so only your source code is sent. See the full skipped files reference for details.

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Option 2 - Upload a zip file

Shoal accepts a zip file of your project when you prefer to create the archive yourself.

Structure matters

Your zip must contain your files directly at the root - not wrapped in a subfolder. Shoal expects to find your Dockerfile and source files immediately when it opens the zip.

Correct structure:

myapp.zip
├── Dockerfile
├── main.py
└── src/

Wrong structure:

myapp.zip
└── myapp/          ← extra folder will break the build
    ├── Dockerfile
    ├── main.py
    └── src/

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MacLinuxWindows

Using Finder:

The standard Compress right-click on a folder wraps everything in a subfolder — which won't work. Instead, compress the contents:

1. Open your project folder in Finder.
2. Press Cmd+A to select all files and folders inside.
3. Right-click the selection and choose Compress X Items.

The resulting Archive.zip will contain your files at the root.

Using Terminal (recommended):

Navigate into your project folder first, then zip from inside it:

cd myapp
zip -r ../myapp.zip .

This puts all files and subdirectories at the root of the zip, with no wrapping folder.

Using the terminal:

Navigate into your project folder first, then zip from inside it:

cd myapp
zip -r ../myapp.zip .

This puts all files and subdirectories at the root of the zip, with no wrapping folder.

Running zip -r myapp.zip myapp/ from outside the folder will wrap everything in a myapp/ subdirectory - avoid this.

If zip is not installed:

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install zip

# Fedora / RHEL
sudo dnf install zip

Using PowerShell (recommended):

Use .\myapp\* (with the *) to zip the contents rather than the folder itself:

Compress-Archive -Path .\myapp\* -DestinationPath .\myapp.zip

Using -Path .\myapp without the * will wrap everything in a myapp\ subfolder inside the zip - avoid this.

Using File Explorer:

Right-clicking a folder and choosing Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder wraps it in a subfolder — which won't work. Instead, compress the contents:

1. Open your project folder in File Explorer.
2. Press Ctrl+A to select all files and folders inside.
3. Right-click the selection and choose Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder.