# Deploy Netlify

> Deploy to Netlify

- Skill: `aayushms/deploy-netlify` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add aayushms/deploy-netlify`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/aayushms/deploy-netlify/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: AayushMS (https://skillmd.com/u/aayushms)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/aayushms/deploy-netlify

---


# Deploy to Netlify

Netlify is used for frontend deployment (React, Vite, Next.js static, SvelteKit, Astro).
Alternative to Vercel — both are free. Use Netlify if the project has a `netlify.toml` or if Vercel is already in use for another service.

## Prerequisites
- Netlify CLI installed: `netlify --version` (install: `npm install -g netlify-cli`)
- Logged in: `netlify status` (run setup-auth if not)

## Auto-detect Build Settings

Before deploying, detect from `package.json`:
- Build command: check `scripts.build`, else `npm run build`
- Publish directory: check in order: `dist/`, `build/`, `.next/`, `out/`, `public/` — use first that exists after build

If `netlify.toml` exists at project root, it already has these settings — don't override.

## Deployment Workflow

### 1. Create site (first time only)
```bash
cd <frontend-dir>
# Check if already linked
netlify status 2>/dev/null | grep "Site ID" && ALREADY_LINKED=true

if [ -z "$ALREADY_LINKED" ]; then
  netlify sites:create --name "$(basename $(pwd) | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]' | tr '_' '-')"
fi
```

### 2. Set environment variables
```bash
# Set the backend URL (replace with actual value from deploy-render output)
netlify env:set VITE_API_URL "$BACKEND_URL" --context production 2>/dev/null || true
netlify env:set NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL "$BACKEND_URL" --context production 2>/dev/null || true
netlify env:set REACT_APP_API_URL "$BACKEND_URL" --context production 2>/dev/null || true
# Set all from .env.example that don't contain secrets
```

### 3. Deploy to production
```bash
netlify deploy --prod --build
```
This builds and deploys in one step. The `--build` flag runs the build command from `netlify.toml` or package.json.

### 4. Get deployed URL
```bash
NETLIFY_URL=$(netlify status --json 2>/dev/null | python3 -c "
import sys,json
try:
  data = json.load(sys.stdin)
  print(data.get('siteData',{}).get('url',''))
except: pass
" 2>/dev/null)

NETLIFY_SITE_ID=$(netlify status --json 2>/dev/null | python3 -c "
import sys,json
try:
  data = json.load(sys.stdin)
  print(data.get('siteData',{}).get('id',''))
except: pass
")

echo "✓ Deployed: $NETLIFY_URL"
echo "Site ID: $NETLIFY_SITE_ID"
```

### 5. Verify deployment
```bash
HTTP_STATUS=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" --max-time 30 "$NETLIFY_URL")
if [ "$HTTP_STATUS" -ge 200 ] && [ "$HTTP_STATUS" -lt 400 ]; then
  echo "✓ Frontend is live: $NETLIFY_URL"
else
  echo "⚠ HTTP $HTTP_STATUS — deployment may still be propagating, check in 1-2 minutes"
fi
```

### 6. Save and export
```bash
cat >> DEPLOYMENT_DOCS/DEPLOYED_ENV.md << EOF

## Netlify
NETLIFY_URL=$NETLIFY_URL
NETLIFY_SITE_ID=$NETLIFY_SITE_ID
EOF
chmod 600 DEPLOYMENT_DOCS/DEPLOYED_ENV.md 2>/dev/null || true
```

Export: `NETLIFY_URL`, `NETLIFY_SITE_ID` for CI/CD setup.

## Free Tier Notes
- **Bandwidth**: 100GB/month
- **Function invocations**: 125,000/month
- **Build minutes**: 300/month
- Suitable for most personal and small team projects

## On Failure
- Build fails: check build command, run `npm run build` locally first
- `netlify deploy` authentication error: run `netlify login` again
- Publish directory not found: specify with `netlify deploy --prod --dir=dist`