One-Click Remote Deployment of SpringBoot Projects Using IntelliJ IDEA and Docker

This tutorial demonstrates how to use IntelliJ IDEA together with Docker to achieve one‑click remote deployment of a SpringBoot application, comparing the traditional jar‑file deployment method with the Docker‑based approach.

First, ensure Docker is installed on the server, IntelliJ IDEA is set up locally, and you have a runnable SpringBoot jar. The traditional method requires uploading the jar and executing java -jar app.jar , stopping the service, re‑uploading, and restarting for each update.

The IDEA+Docker workflow involves configuring SSH access (preferably using a key pair), connecting to the Docker daemon, and creating a Dockerfile such as:

# Base image
FROM openjdk:17
# Copy jar into image
ADD target/demo-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar app.jar
# Start container
ENTRYPOINT ["java","-jar","/app.jar","--spring.profiles.active=prod"]
EXPOSE 8080

After setting up the Dockerfile, configure IntelliJ's Docker deployment settings: add the SSH connection, select the Docker daemon, and specify the Dockerfile path. Once the configuration is saved, clicking the green run button in IDEA builds the image, pushes it to the server, and starts the container automatically, also streaming logs in real time.

The article includes screenshots of the IDE settings, Docker daemon explanation, and the final running result in the browser, confirming that the application is deployed and logs are visible.

By following these steps, developers can significantly speed up backend deployment cycles and avoid repetitive manual jar handling.