How to deploy a Claude Code website to production

Claude Code writes real code on your computer, but it doesn't host anything: what runs at localhost is only visible to you. Putting it in production means three things: get the code somewhere a host can read it (GitHub or a ZIP), change the few things that work differently on a server, and deploy. It can be any kind of project, from one HTML page to a Next.js, Python or PHP app. Hosts care about what's in the folder, not which tool wrote it.

Most problems with AI-built projects come from things that only work on the computer they were built on:

Claude Code is good at this kind of change. Open your project and paste a prompt like this one:

Prepare this project for production hosting. The host builds from the
repository root, runs one container, sets the PORT environment variable
and provides secrets as environment variables. Please:
- make the app listen on PORT
- move every secret and API key into environment variables, and list
  their names (without values) in .env.example
- make sure .env is in .gitignore
- make sure there is a production build and a start command
- make the home page / return a normal page without a login
Don't deploy anything. Change the code and tell me what you changed.

Read the summary it gives you, and run the project once more on your computer before you deploy.

• Separate front-end and back-end folders (such as frontend/ and backend/). Claude Code often splits an app this way. ProHostiva builds the top level of a repository or ZIP, so put each part in its own repository and deploy them as two websites, or ask Claude Code to make the backend serve the built front end so it's one app.
• A Docker Compose file with a database next to the app (docker-compose.yml). Multi-container setups aren't supported: deploy the app on its own and use a hosted database.
• A Dockerfile at the top level is always used when it's there. If Claude Code wrote it for development (with a dev server or mounted folders), ask it to make it production-ready or remove it, and we'll build the project ourselves.

1. Put the code on GitHub (or make a ZIP)

GitHub is best if you'll keep working on the site with Claude Code: each change is a push and one click. If you have git and the GitHub CLI (gh) set up, you can ask Claude Code to “create a private GitHub repository for this project and push it”. Otherwise create the repository on github.com and push it yourself. For a site you finish once, a ZIP is fine: see Deploying from a ZIP.

2. Check it (free)

Paste the repository's address into Check my project, or upload the ZIP (for a private repository, download it from GitHub as a ZIP). Anything the report flags can usually be fixed by giving it to Claude Code: copy the finding into your session.

3. Create the website and publish

1. Start a new website

   In your dashboard, click Host a website, then choose GitHub repository and connect GitHub, or upload the ZIP. See Deploying from GitHub.

2. Check what we detected

   We show the framework, the runtime version and the build and start commands (and that the project was made with Claude Code, if there's a CLAUDE.md). Change a command only if you know it's different.

3. Add environment variables

   Everything in your .env.example goes under Developer settings → Environment variables, with production values. Tick Secret for anything private.

4. Publish

   Name the website, choose its address and click Publish website. We build it in an isolated container, check that the home page answers, and put it online at yourname.prohostiva.com.

4. Connect your domain

Go to Domains, add your domain, add the two DNS records we show at your domain provider and click Verify DNS. HTTPS is set up for you. The full walkthrough is in Connecting your own domain.

5. Updating the site later

Keep working with Claude Code as before, then push to GitHub and click Publish latest version on the website's page. Nothing goes live until you click, and if a new version fails to build or start, the current one stays online.

• Rotate any key that was ever committed. Deleting it from the code isn't enough if it's in the Git history; create a new one at the service and set it as an environment variable.
• Allow your domain. Frameworks and APIs often only accept known addresses: Django's ALLOWED_HOSTS, an API's CORS origins, and sign-in redirect URLs at Google, GitHub, Supabase or Auth0.
• Switch services to production. Stripe live keys and a webhook pointing at your domain, a production database rather than your test one, real email sending settings.
• Run your database migrations. They're never run automatically on deploy, so new tables don't appear on their own.

• It works on my computer but the build fails: often a file that exists on your disk but was never committed, or a missing lockfile. Ask Claude Code to check git status, commit what's missing, and push again.
• Health check failed: the app listens on a fixed port instead of PORT, or the home page redirects to a login. See Troubleshooting.
• "We couldn't find a website or app here": the project is in a subfolder. See the layouts above.
• Database connection errors: the database URL still points at localhost. Use your hosted database's URL in an environment variable.
• A blank page (React, Vue, Svelte): a missing VITE_ variable. Add it and deploy again.