Output a built Site from CloudCannon to an external provider

A Build Deploy commits the built files of your Site to a branch of a Git Repository after each successful build. CloudCannon builds your Site, and another hosting provider serves the files from that branch. For more information on hosting outside CloudCannon, please read our documentation on what external hosting is.

A Build Deploy replaces the contents of its branch with your latest build output every time your Site builds.

Add a Build Deploy#

Before you begin, create the Git Repository to which you want to deploy, and connect its Git Provider to CloudCannon.

To add a Build Deploy:

1. Navigate to the Build Deploys page under Site Settings.
2. Select your Git Provider under Git Provider. If you haven't authenticated CloudCannon with that provider yet, click the Authenticate button and follow the prompts.
3. Select the repository to which you want to deploy.
4. Select an existing branch, or create a new branch.
5. Click the Connect and Sync button.

CloudCannon will commit your most recent build output to the branch, and again after every build.

Once connected, the Build Deploys page shows the repository, the branch it syncs with, and a View deploy history link to the record of each deploy.

Choose which build step to deploy#

By default, a Build Deploy commits the output of your Site's build. You can choose a later step of the build instead, such as the step that compresses your assets.

To choose which build step to deploy:

1. Navigate to the Build Deploys page under Site Settings.
2. Select a step from the Deploy Step dropdown under Additional settings. The dropdown lists the steps of your Site's build in the order they run, starting with your SSG.
3. Click the Update Build Deploy button.

CloudCannon will deploy the output of that step after each build.

Keep files in the branch#

The branch may contain files that aren't part of your build output, such as CI configuration, that you don't want a deploy to change or delete.

To keep files in the branch:

1. Navigate to the Build Deploys page under Site Settings.
2. Enter a comma-separated list of path prefixes in the Excluded Paths field under Additional settings (e.g., .github/⁠).
3. Click the Update Build Deploy button.

CloudCannon will leave files that match those prefixes unchanged in the branch.

Change the branch#

To change the branch to which CloudCannon deploys:

1. Navigate to the Build Deploys page under Site Settings.
2. Click the Change branch button under Branch. CloudCannon will open the Switch branch modal.
3. Select an existing branch, or create a new branch.
4. Click the Switch branch button.

CloudCannon will deploy your build output to the new branch.

Remove a Build Deploy#

To remove a Build Deploy:

1. Navigate to the Build Deploys page under Site Settings.
2. Click the Disconnect [Provider] button. CloudCannon will open the Disconnect [Provider]? modal.
3. Click the Disconnect [Provider] button in the modal to confirm.

CloudCannon will stop committing your build output to the branch.