How to deploy static sites on Replit

Static deployments only serve files — they cannot run backend code. Check that your project does not rely on a Node.js or Python server, does not use server-side rendering (SSR), and does not depend on Secrets (environment variables are not available in static deployments). If your project uses React, Vue, or another frontend framework, it must be built into static HTML/CSS/JS files first. Projects built with Replit Agent typically include backends and are NOT compatible with static deployment — use Autoscale or Reserved VM instead.

For framework-based projects (React, Vite, Vue), you need a build command that compiles your source code into static files. Open the .replit file (Show hidden files > .replit) and add the deployment configuration. The build command typically runs your framework's build script, and the output goes to a dist or build directory. For plain HTML/CSS/JS projects without a build step, you can skip this — just point the deployment to your root directory.

1# .replit configuration for static deployment
2
3[deployment]
4run = ""
5build = "npm run build"
6deploymentTarget = "static"
7
8# For Vite projects, output is in 'dist'
9# For Create React App, output is in 'build'
10
11[[ports]]
12localPort = 3000
13externalPort = 80

Before deploying, run your build command in the Shell to verify it completes without errors and produces the expected output directory. Check that the output directory contains an index.html file at the root — this is required for the deployment to work. Open the output directory in the file tree and verify that all CSS, JavaScript, and asset files are present. Missing files usually indicate a misconfigured build script or incorrect file paths in your source code.

1# Run the build command
2npm run build
3
4# Verify the output directory
5ls -la dist/
6
7# Check for index.html
8cat dist/index.html | head -20
9
10# Check total size (must be under 1 GB)
11du -sh dist/

Single-page applications (React Router, Vue Router) use client-side routing, which means all URLs should serve the same index.html file. Without proper configuration, refreshing a page like /about returns a 404 because there is no physical about.html file on the server. Replit static deployments support custom routing rules in the .replit file. Add a fallback rule that serves index.html for all paths that do not match a physical file.

1# Add to .replit for SPA routing
2[deployment]
3run = ""
4build = "npm run build"
5deploymentTarget = "static"
6
7# Serve index.html for all routes (SPA fallback)
8[[deployment.routing]]
9path = "/*"
10file = "/index.html"

Open the Deployments pane from the Tools dock or top navigation. Select Static as the deployment type. Replit shows a summary of your build configuration. Review the settings, then click Publish (or Deploy). The deployment process runs your build command, uploads the output files to Replit's CDN, and assigns a .replit.app subdomain. The first deployment typically takes 30-60 seconds. Subsequent deployments are faster since only changed files are uploaded.

Static deployments support custom domains on all plans. In the Deployments pane, go to Settings and click Link a domain. Enter your domain name and Replit generates A records and a TXT record for DNS verification. Log into your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.) and add these DNS records. Propagation takes minutes to 48 hours. Replit automatically provisions a TLS certificate once DNS is verified. If using Cloudflare, set the DNS record to DNS-only mode (gray cloud) — proxied mode blocks certificate auto-renewal.

1# DNS records to add at your registrar
2# (Replit provides exact values in the Deployments pane)
3
4# A Record
5Type: A
6Name: @ (or your subdomain)
7Value: [IP address from Replit]
8
9# TXT Record (for verification)
10Type: TXT
11Name: @ (or your subdomain)
12Value: [verification string from Replit]

Static deployments have specific constraints you must understand before choosing this deployment type. There is no server-side code execution, so you cannot use Node.js, Python, or any backend framework. Secrets (environment variables) are not available — if your frontend needs API keys, you must either hardcode them (only for public keys) or use a separate backend. The maximum app size is 1 GB. The filesystem is not persistent and resets on each deployment. There is no WebSocket support. If any of these limitations affect your project, use Autoscale or Reserved VM deployment instead.