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Deployment & Sharing

Deploying to Netlify

When you're ready to take your app beyond a preview URL, you can deploy it to Netlify with a single click. Netlify gives your app a permanent, production-grade hosting environment with its own URL.

What Deployment Does

Deploying your app publishes it to Netlify, a professional web hosting platform used by millions of websites. When you deploy, Webase takes your app's bundled HTML — which includes all of your React code, styles, Tailwind CSS, and any external libraries — and uploads it to Netlify's global content delivery network (CDN).

The result is a fast, reliable, always-available version of your app at its own unique Netlify URL. It's the same app you see in the preview, but hosted on infrastructure designed for production traffic.

How to Deploy

1

Open Your App in the Editor

Navigate to the app you want to deploy and open it in the Application Editor. Make sure your app is in good shape — check the preview to confirm everything works as expected.

2

Click the Deploy Button

In the editor toolbar, click the Deploy button. Webase will bundle your app and upload it to Netlify. This usually takes just a few seconds.

3

Get Your Netlify URL

Once deployment is complete, you'll see your Netlify site URL. It will look something like your-app-name.netlify.app. You can click the link to visit your deployed app or copy it to share with others.

Note: Deploying your app counts as one billable message. Make sure you have messages remaining in your plan or top-up balance. See Plans & Pricing for details.

What Gets Deployed

Your deployed app includes everything needed to run as a standalone web page:

  • Bundled React code — All of your components, pages, and logic compiled into optimized JavaScript.
  • Tailwind CSS — Loaded from the CDN, ensuring all your styling renders correctly.
  • External libraries — Any packages your app imports from esm.sh are included and load automatically.
  • Custom head content — If your app defines custom meta tags, fonts, or scripts in public/index.html, those are included in the deployed page.
  • Data connections — If your app uses Data Models, the deployed version connects to the same Webase Data API, so your data is live.

Your Netlify Site URL

Netlify automatically generates a URL for your deployed app based on your app's name. The URL follows the pattern:

your-app-name.netlify.app

This URL is permanent and won't change unless you rename your Netlify site. You can share it freely — it works for anyone with a web browser, on any device.

Updating Your Deployment

After making changes to your app in the editor, you can update your Netlify deployment at any time:

  1. Make your changes using chat or the code editor.
  2. Verify everything looks right in the preview panel.
  3. Click the Deploy button again.

Webase will re-bundle your app with the latest changes and upload the new version to Netlify. The update typically takes just a few seconds, and your Netlify URL stays the same. Visitors will see the updated version immediately.

Tip: Each re-deploy counts as one billable message. If you're making lots of small tweaks, finish your edits first, then deploy once when everything is ready.

Preview URL vs. Netlify Deployment

You might wonder why you'd deploy to Netlify when your app already has a preview URL. Here's how they compare:

  • Preview URL (webase.com/preview/your-app)
    • Available immediately after saving — no extra step required.
    • Hosted on Webase's servers.
    • Great for testing, quick sharing, and getting feedback during development.
    • Free and included with every app.
  • Netlify Deployment (your-app.netlify.app)
    • Hosted on Netlify's global CDN for fast loading worldwide.
    • Gives your app a clean, professional URL separate from Webase.
    • Better suited for sharing with clients, publishing publicly, or using as a production app.
    • Supports custom domains if you configure them through Netlify.

In short, use the preview URL while you're actively building and refining your app. Deploy to Netlify when you're ready to share a polished, production version with the world.

Troubleshooting

  • Deploy button is disabled — Make sure your app has been saved at least once and the preview is loading correctly. If the preview shows errors, fix those first before deploying.
  • Deployment seems stuck — Deployment usually takes only a few seconds. If it takes longer than a minute, try refreshing the page and deploying again.
  • "No messages remaining" error — Deployment uses one message from your plan. Check your usage and consider upgrading or purchasing a message top-up.