How to Deploy a Static Site from the Command Line

Build a static site and ship it to a host with a single CLI command, then verify the live URL.

9 minBeginner

Static sites are the simplest things to deploy: a build step turns your source into a folder of files, and a single command uploads that folder to a host. This guide takes a built site from your machine to a public URL using a host CLI, with a check at the end to confirm it is live.

What you need

A static site project with a build command
An account on a static host and its CLI installed
About 10 minutes

Step 1: Build the output folder

Run your build so the host has finished files to upload. Note the output directory; most tools use dist or build.

zsh - build

$npm run build

Built in 4.2s. Output written to dist/

Step 2: Authenticate the CLI

terminal

# example host CLI; the flow is the same across hosts
host login
# opens a browser, then prints: logged in as you@example.com

Step 3: Deploy the folder

Point the deploy command at your output folder. The CLI uploads the files and prints the live URL when it finishes.

Terminal - deploy

$ host deploy --dir dist --prod

Uploading 38 files...

Done in 6s.

Live at https://my-site.example.app

The CLI uploads the build and returns a URL.

Step 4: Verify the live site

Open the URL and confirm a real status code rather than trusting the upload log alone. A quick request from the terminal proves the page is actually served.

terminal

curl -I https://my-site.example.app
# expect: HTTP/2 200

Deploy the build, not the source

Point the deploy at your output folder, not the project root. Shipping source files instead of the built output is the most common reason a static deploy serves a blank or broken page.

Result: your site is live at a public URL from a single command, and you confirmed it with a real request rather than just the upload message.