How to Deploy a Bolt App
Bolt offers one-click deployment to Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare, or native Bolt Cloud. Run the Bolt V2 security audit first, then choose your deployment target. Bolt Cloud provides integrated hosting with databases and analytics. External hosts give you more control over infrastructure.
Why this matters
Bolt generates apps in WebContainers during development, but your deployed app runs on real infrastructure. The deployment target you choose affects performance, scalability, and what features are available. Making the right choice upfront prevents migration headaches.
What's at stake
Deploying without running the security audit ships known vulnerabilities. Choosing the wrong hosting target can mean missing features you need (like server-side rendering) or paying for features you do not use.
Step by step.
Run the Bolt V2 security audit
Before deploying, run the built-in security audit. It flags missing password checks, unprotected routes, and exposed secrets. Fix all flagged issues — deploying with known vulnerabilities puts your users at risk.
Choose your deployment target
Bolt Cloud: integrated hosting with databases, analytics, and custom domains — simplest option. Netlify: great for static sites and JAMstack apps. Vercel: best for Next.js and edge performance. Cloudflare: best for global distribution and Workers. Choose based on your app type and needs.
Configure environment variables
Ensure all API keys and secrets are stored in Bolt V2 Project Settings. For external hosting (Netlify, Vercel), add your secrets in the hosting provider's environment variables section. Verify no secrets are hardcoded in your project files.
Deploy with one click
Click the deploy button and select your target. Bolt handles the build process and pushes your app to the hosting provider. For Bolt Cloud, your app gets a bolt.app subdomain. For external hosts, follow their domain configuration.
Configure a custom domain
On Pro plans and above, you can connect a custom domain. Point your domain DNS records to your hosting provider (Bolt Cloud, Netlify, or Vercel). SSL certificates are handled automatically by all major hosts.
Test the deployed app thoroughly
Visit your live URL and test every critical flow. Pay special attention to features that did not work in WebContainer preview — especially Stripe payments, external API calls, and authentication. Check DevTools Sources for exposed secrets.
Verify your Bolt deployment is configured correctly
- Pre-deployment checklist covering security, secrets, and configuration
- Hosting comparison tool to choose the right deployment target
- Post-deployment verification for critical functionality
Frequently asked questions.
Bolt Cloud is simplest — integrated hosting, databases, and analytics with one-click setup. Use an external host if you need more control: Vercel for Next.js edge performance, Netlify for JAMstack simplicity, or Cloudflare for global Workers. For most first-time deployments, Bolt Cloud is the fastest path.
Bolt preview runs in WebContainers — a browser-based Node.js environment. Server-side operations like Stripe payment processing, webhook handling, and some auth flows require a real server. These features only work after deploying to production infrastructure.
Yes. Export your code to GitHub, then deploy from there to any provider. Your code is standard web code (React, Next.js, etc.) with no Bolt-specific dependencies. Switching hosts is straightforward.
Bolt Cloud includes integrated databases. For external hosts, connect to Supabase, PlanetScale, or another managed database. Store database connection strings in your hosting provider's environment variables, never in code.