Netlify Deployment Guide

For complete documentation, visit Netlify Docs

What is Netlify?

Netlify is a modern platform for deploying web projects, offering serverless deployment infrastructure with an emphasis on performance and developer experience.

Useful Documentation Links:

• Getting Started
• Site Deploys
• Configure Builds
• Custom Domains

Serverless Architecture

What “Serverless” Means

Traditional Hosting:
┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐
│   Your App  │ --> │  Server  │ --> │ Database │
└─────────────┘     └──────────┘     └──────────┘
                    (You manage)

Serverless (Netlify):
┌─────────────┐     ┌───────────────┐
│   Your App  │ --> │ Netlify CDN   │
└─────────────┘     └───────────────┘
                    (Fully managed)

Key Points

1. Static Asset Delivery

   • Netlify excels at serving static files (HTML, CSS, JS, images)
   • Content is distributed through a global CDN
   • Automatic optimization and caching

2. No Traditional Server

   • No persistent server running your application
   • Cannot host traditional backend servers
   • No direct database connections

What Can Be Deployed?

Supported Projects

• Static websites
• Single Page Applications (SPAs)
• JAMstack applications
• Static site generators (Astro, Next.js, etc.)

What Cannot Be Deployed

• Traditional backend servers (Node.js, Python, PHP)
• Database servers
• WebSocket servers
• Long-running processes

Alternative Architecture

Since Netlify doesn’t support traditional servers, here’s how to architect your application:

Recommended Architecture:
┌─────────────┐     ┌───────────────┐     ┌────────────────┐
│ Frontend    │ --> │ Netlify CDN   │ --> │ External APIs  │
│ (Netlify)   │     └───────────────┘     │ & Services     │
└─────────────┘                           └────────────────┘

Solutions for Backend Needs

1. Netlify Functions

   • Serverless functions for API endpoints
   • Short-lived, event-driven computing
   • Perfect for API routes and data processing

2. External Services

   • Database as a Service (MongoDB Atlas, Supabase)
   • Authentication providers (Auth0, Firebase Auth)
   • API platforms (Firebase, Supabase, AWS)

Best Practices

1. Frontend Development

   • Build static assets during deployment
   • Use environment variables for configuration
   • Implement proper error handling

2. API Integration

   • Use external APIs for dynamic data
   • Implement proper CORS headers
   • Handle API rate limiting

3. Database Access

   • Use database-as-a-service providers
   • Implement proper security rules
   • Handle connection management

Common Pitfalls

1. Attempting to Run Servers

   // This won't work on Netlify
   const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
     // Server code
   });
   server.listen(3000);

2. Direct Database Connections

   // This won't work on Netlify
   const db = mysql.createConnection({
     host: "localhost",
     user: "user",
     password: "password"
   });

Deployment Tips

1. Environment Variables

   • Set up environment variables in Netlify dashboard
   • Use different variables for development/production
   • Never commit sensitive data

2. Build Settings

   • Configure proper build commands
   • Set up correct publish directory
   • Use appropriate Node.js version (Runtime Guide)

3. Domain Configuration

   • Set up custom domains
   • Configure SSL certificates
   • Manage redirects and rewrites (Redirects Guide)

Additional Resources

• Netlify CLI Documentation
• Build Plugins
• Edge Functions
• Forms
• Analytics

Remember: Netlify is optimized for modern web applications that separate frontend and backend concerns. Design your application architecture accordingly to take full advantage of Netlify’s strengths while avoiding its limitations.