Netlify
Netlify is a managed web platform for Jamstack sites, branch previews, and serverless backends. We assess it for client frontends and preview-heavy workflows. Our default static host remains GitHub Pages unless a project needs Netlify primitives or a customer already runs there.
Blurb
Create with AI or code, deploy instantly on production infrastructure. One platform to build and ship.
Summary
What it is: Git-connected build and deploy, global CDN, HTTPS, deploy previews per branch or Pull Request, plus platform primitives (serverless functions, edge functions, forms, blobs, and managed Postgres).
When to use: marketing sites or SPAs that want one vendor for CI, hosting, and light backend APIs; teams that rely on shareable preview URLs for every change; frameworks with first-class Netlify adapters (Next.js, Astro, Hugo, and others).
When to skip: workloads that belong on Kubernetes or a hyperscaler; org standard is GitHub Actions plus GitHub Pages; need deep VPC peering, private backends, or heavy data-plane control.
Not the same as: GitHub (forge plus Pages); GitHub Actions (CI only); Harness.io (enterprise CD suite). Netlify is frontend-centric hosting with integrated build pipelines.
Details
| Topic | Notes |
|---|---|
| Deploy paths | Git push, Netlify CLI, drag-and-drop, or dashboard prompts |
| Config | netlify.toml for build command, publish dir, redirects, headers, and plugins |
| Previews | Unique URL per branch and PR; one-click production deploy or rollback |
| Primitives | Functions, Edge Functions, Background and Scheduled Functions, Blobs, Netlify Database |
| Edge | Global CDN with HTTPS and DDoS protection on by default; High-Performance Edge on Enterprise |
| Pricing | Credit-based tiers; Free includes limited monthly credits; Pro and Enterprise add seats, SLAs, and support |
Typical workflow: connect a GitHub (or GitLab/Bitbucket) repo, set build command and output directory, enable deploy previews on PRs, add env vars per context (production vs preview), and use redirects for SPA routing or legacy paths.
Pairs with: static site generators (Hugo, Astro, Next.js static export), headless CMS webhooks for rebuild-on-publish, and light API routes via functions when a full Kubernetes service is overkill.
References