Deploy your first website
From an empty account to a live site on your own domain, step by step.
This is the shortest honest path from nothing to a site people can visit.
Decide what kind of site it is
Static — HTML/CSS/JS files, no server-side code. Fastest and cheapest; a great default for a brochure site or documentation.
PHP — WordPress, Laravel, or any CMS. One-click installs are available.
Node — a persistent app (Express, Next.js in server mode). Runs behind our proxy with a process manager.
Create the site in the panel
Open /panel/web and choose New site. Give it a name, pick the runtime (static, PHP version, or Node), and confirm. You get:
A web root directory for your files.
A temporary hostname you can preview on immediately.
Log access and a place to attach a domain.
Upload your files
Three options, in order of convenience:
SFTP — connect with the credentials shown in the panel and copy files into the web root.
Git push-to-deploy — add a deploy key, push to a branch, and the site updates. Best for anything you maintain in version control.
Panel file manager — fine for a handful of files; painful for hundreds.
For a static site, put index.html at the top of the web root. For PHP, the entry file is usually index.php. For Node, tell the panel the start command and port.
Preview before going public
Visit the temporary hostname shown in the panel. Confirm the site loads, links work, and nothing is obviously broken. Fixing things here is free; fixing them after a launch is not.
Attach your domain
Add the domain in the panel.
Create a DNS record pointing it at us — an A record to the site's IP, or a CNAME to the hostname we gave you.
Wait for propagation, then issue a certificate.
Turn on HTTPS
Every site can have a free, automatically renewing certificate — see Free TLS certificates. Do not launch without it: browsers mark plain HTTP as "Not secure", which costs you trust and rankings.
A pre-launch checklist
Site loads over HTTPS with no mixed-content warnings.
All internal links work; no 404s.
Forms submit and reach you.
A backup is scheduled — see Back up your data.
Monitoring is on — see Monitoring setup.
robots.txtand a sitemap exist if you want search engines to index you.Analytics, if you want it (self-host Umami or Plausible to keep visitor data yours).
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