Deploying and hosting outside RShift Sites

This guide provides practical examples and instructions for deploying and hosting RShift Sites applications outside RShift Sites’ own hosting and built-in backend (Cloud).

It builds on the concepts explained in How RShift Sites hosts your app and Deployment, hosting, and ownership options with RShift Sites, and focuses on the most common migration paths. You can adopt any of these scenarios independently and in any order.

In this guide, hosting refers to where your application runs, while deployment refers to how your code is built and delivered to that environment.

If you plan to run everything on RShift Sites, you do not need this guide.

Before you migrate

This guide is intended for teams with specific requirements, such as compliance constraints, data residency needs, or organizational infrastructure policies, that require running parts of an application outside RShift Sites.

RShift Sites already provides an integrated development and production environment, including:

• Production hosting with custom domains and automatic SSL
• Automated deployments and environment management
• Managed authentication with row-level security
• Database and file storage
• Automatic preview environments for every change
• AI agent with debugging in preview and development environments
• Managed AI provider access for runtime features
• Built-in OAuth configuration and token refresh
• Security scanning and compliance-ready infrastructure (SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001)

Most teams never need to migrate. You can start on RShift Sites and move components later if and when you hit real constraints.

Prerequisite: Connect your project to GitHub

All scenarios in this guide require connecting your project to GitHub.

When GitHub is connected:

• Your RShift Sites project stays in continuous sync with your repository
• External platforms deploy directly from GitHub
• RShift Sites continues to manage development, previews, and tooling independently

From here on, this guide assumes your project is connected to GitHub.

Host the production frontend on a managed platform

This is the most common first step when moving outside RShift Sites.

You deploy the production frontend to a managed hosting platform while continuing to use RShift Sites for development and previews. Your backend and data can remain on the built-in backend (Cloud) or run elsewhere.

What you’re responsible for

When the production frontend runs outside RShift Sites, you are responsible for:

• Frontend deployment pipelines and rollbacks
• Production environment variables
• CDN behavior and caching
• Frontend availability and uptime
• Production logs and deployment history
• Preview environments for production branches or releases

RShift Sites cannot monitor or debug production infrastructure it does not control.

Common approaches

• Git-based hosting platforms
  These platforms connect directly to your GitHub repository and automatically build and deploy on each push:
  • Netlify
  • Cloudflare Pages
  • Vercel
  • AWS Amplify Hosting
  • Azure Static Web Apps
  • Google Firebase Hosting
• Object storage + CDN hosting
  These platforms host static files behind a CDN but require a build pipeline to generate and upload the dist/ output.
  • AWS: S3 + CloudFront
  • Google Cloud: Cloud Storage + Cloud CDN
  • Azure: Azure Storage (Static Website) + Azure CDN or Front Door

Deploying to a Git-based hosting platform

This approach applies to platforms that automatically build and deploy from your GitHub repository.

Example: Deploying to a Git-based hosting platform

Connect your repository

Connect your GitHub repository to the hosting platform.

Configure build settings

Most platforms auto-detect these:

• Build command: npm run build
• Output directory: dist
• Node version: 22

Configure environment variables

Projects without a backend require no environment variables.

Projects using the built-in backend (Cloud) need the values from your project’s .env file:

      VITE_SUPABASE_URL
      VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY
      VITE_SUPABASE_PROJECT_ID

You can find these in the .env file in RShift Sites’ code editor or in your synced GitHub repository.

Configure SPA routing

If direct URL navigation returns a 404, configure a fallback rewrite so all routes serve /index.html. The method varies by platform (for example, _redirects file on Netlify/Cloudflare, staticwebapp.config.json on Azure, rewrite rules on Amplify, vercel.json on Vercel, firebase.json on Firebase).

Update OAuth redirect URLs

If your app uses Google sign-in or other OAuth providers, add your new production domain to your authentication provider’s allowed redirect URLs.

Deploy

Each push to GitHub triggers a new production deployment.

Result: A publicly accessible production frontend served over HTTPS, connected to your built-in backend (Cloud).

Deploying to object storage + CDN with CI/CD

CDN-backed hosting requires a CI/CD pipeline to build your app and upload the dist/ output. Build steps are identical across providers. Deployment is provider-specific, see links to official documentation for each platform.

Example: Deploying to object storage + CDN with CI/CD

For authentication, all major cloud providers support OpenID Connect (OIDC) with GitHub Actions, which eliminates the need to store long-lived credentials as secrets. This is the recommended approach.

• <u>AWS: Use IAM roles with OIDC</u>
• <u>Google Cloud: Workload Identity Federation</u>
• <u>Azure: Federated identity credentials</u>

Add GitHub secrets

Add the required secrets in your GitHub repository settings (Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions).

Create the workflow file

For example, create .github/workflows/deploy.yml in your repository:

      name: Build and Deploy

      on:
        push:
          branches: [main]

      jobs:
        build-and-deploy:
          runs-on: ubuntu-latest

          steps:
            - name: Checkout repository
              uses: actions/checkout@v4

            - name: Set up Node.js
              uses: actions/setup-node@v4
              with:
                node-version: '22'
                cache: 'npm'

            - name: Install dependencies
              run: npm ci

            - name: Build application
              run: npm run build
              env:
                VITE_SUPABASE_URL: ${{ secrets.VITE_SUPABASE_URL }}
                VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY: ${{ secrets.VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY }}

            # Deploy step is provider-specific. See documentation links below.
            # The build output is in the dist/ directory.

Add provider-specific deployment steps

After the build step, add deployment steps for your platform. Refer to official documentation for current best practices:

Configure SPA routing

All CDN-backed hosting requires configuration to return index.html with a 200 status code for routes that don’t match a file. This is typically configured as:

• A custom error response returning 200 (CloudFront)
• A URL rewrite rule on a load balancer (Cloud CDN)
• A URL rewrite rule (Front Door)

Host the production frontend on your own infrastructure

Use this approach when you need full control over frontend hosting, networking, or runtime environment. This is sometimes referred to as self-hosting.

The frontend is built from your GitHub repository and deployed to infrastructure you manage. The backend and data can remain on the built-in backend (Cloud) or run elsewhere.

What you’re responsible for

When the production frontend runs on infrastructure you manage, you are responsible for:

• Build and deployment automation
• SSL/TLS configuration
• CDN and reverse proxy configuration
• Monitoring, logging, and uptime
• Infrastructure updates and security
• Preview environments for branches or releases

RShift Sites cannot monitor or debug production infrastructure it does not control.

Common approaches

• Container-based deployments
  For example: Docker deployed via Kubernetes (EKS, GKE, AKS), ECS, Nomad, or internal container platforms
• Virtual machines behind a web server
  For example: Linux VMs running Nginx or Apache, managed through configuration management or internal tooling
• Internal PaaS platforms
  For example: company-internal deployment platforms or private cloud PaaS solutions

Build requirements

RShift Sites projects are standard Vite applications and build as static frontends.

• Build command: npm run build
• Output directory: dist/
• Node version: 22 recommended

Environment variables prefixed with VITE_ are embedded at build time, not runtime.

If using the built-in backend (Cloud), you must set these before running npm run build:

• VITE_SUPABASE_URL
• VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY

You can find these values in your project’s .env file.

Container-based deployment (Docker)

Example: Manual Docker deployment

This is the most common approach for deploying to Kubernetes, ECS, Cloud Run, or any container orchestration platform. It also works for running the frontend as a standalone container on a single VM.

Clone your GitHub repository

      git clone <your-github-repo-url>
      cd <project-name>

Create a Dockerfile

RShift Sites projects can be containerized using a standard multi-stage Docker build: the first stage installs dependencies and runs npm run build, and the second stage serves the static output with nginx.

Here’s an example Dockerfile you can adapt:

      # Build stage
      FROM node:22-alpine AS builder

      WORKDIR /app

      # Copy package files and install dependencies
      COPY package*.json ./
      RUN npm ci

      # Copy source code
      COPY . .

      # Environment variables are embedded at build time
      ARG VITE_SUPABASE_URL
      ARG VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY
      ENV VITE_SUPABASE_URL=$VITE_SUPABASE_URL
      ENV VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=$VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY

      # Build the application
      RUN npm run build

      # Production stage
      FROM nginx:alpine

      # Copy built assets to nginx
      COPY --from=builder /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html

      # Copy nginx configuration for SPA routing
      COPY nginx.conf /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf

      EXPOSE 80

      CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"]

Create an nginx configuration file

RShift Sites projects use client-side routing (React Router with BrowserRouter), so your web server must return index.html for all routes. Create an nginx.conf file:

      server {
          listen 80;
          root /usr/share/nginx/html;
          index index.html;

          # Cache static assets
          location /assets/ {
          	expires 1y;
          	add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable";
      	}

          # Handle client-side routing - required for RShift Sites projects
          location / {
              try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
          }
      }

Build the container image

Set your environment variables as build arguments:

      docker build \
        --build-arg VITE_SUPABASE_URL=<your-url> \
        --build-arg VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=<your-key> \
        -t my-lovable-app .

Push to your container registry

For example:

      docker tag my-lovable-app your-registry/my-lovable-app:latest
      docker push your-registry/my-lovable-app:latest

Deploy using your orchestration platform

Deploy the container using Kubernetes, ECS, Cloud Run, Nomad, or your internal platform. No runtime environment variables are needed, they are already embedded in the build.

Result: A running container serving your frontend over HTTP on port 80.

Example: Automated Docker deployment (CI/CD)

This workflow builds a Docker image and pushes it to a container registry for deployment to Kubernetes, ECS, or other orchestration platforms. This automates the manual container-based deployment steps described above.

For authentication, major container registries support OpenID Connect (OIDC) with GitHub Actions, which eliminates the need to store long-lived credentials as secrets. This is the recommended approach.

• <u>AWS ECR: Use IAM roles with OIDC</u>
• <u>Google Artifact Registry: Workload Identity Federation</u>
• <u>Azure Container Registry: Federated identity credentials</u>
• <u>GitHub Container Registry: Use GITHUB_TOKEN</u> (no secrets needed)

Prerequisites:

• A container registry (for example, GitHub Container Registry, AWS ECR, Google Artifact Registry, Azure Container Registry, Docker Hub)
• The Dockerfile and nginx.conf files from the manual container-based deployment section above
• An orchestration platform to deploy the container (for example, Kubernetes, ECS)

Add GitHub secrets

Add the required secrets in your GitHub repository settings (Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions).

Create the workflow file

For example, create .github/workflows/deploy-container.yml in your repository:

      name: Build and Push Container

      on:
        push:
          branches: [main]

      env:
        IMAGE_NAME: my-lovable-app
        REGISTRY: ghcr.io/your-org  # Replace with your registry URL

      jobs:
        build-and-push:
          runs-on: ubuntu-latest

          steps:
            - name: Checkout repository
              uses: actions/checkout@v4

            - name: Set up Docker Buildx
              uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3

            # TODO: Add registry authentication step here.
            # This workflow will not run until you configure authentication.
            # See "Registry-specific authentication" table below.

            - name: Build and push Docker image
              uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
              with:
                context: .
                push: true
                tags: |
                  ${{ env.REGISTRY }}/${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}:latest
                  ${{ env.REGISTRY }}/${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
                build-args: |
                  VITE_SUPABASE_URL=${{ secrets.VITE_SUPABASE_URL }}
                  VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=${{ secrets.VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY }}
                cache-from: type=gha
                cache-to: type=gha,mode=max

Configure registry authentication

Add the appropriate authentication step before Build and push Docker image in the workflow. Refer to official documentation for current best practices:

VM or static server deployment

Example: Manual VM or static server deployment

This approach is for deploying to Linux VMs, bare-metal servers, or any machine running a web server like Nginx or Apache.

Clone your GitHub repository

      git clone <your-github-repo-url>
      cd <project-name>

Install dependencies

      npm ci

Build the application with environment variables

Set environment variables before running the build:

      VITE_SUPABASE_URL=<your-url> \
      VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=<your-key> \
      npm run build

Build output is in the dist/ directory.

Upload the build output to your server

For example, using scp:

      scp -r dist/* user@your-server:/var/www/html/

Or using rsync:

      rsync -avz dist/ user@your-server:/var/www/html/

Configure your web server

RShift Sites projects use client-side routing (React Router with BrowserRouter), so your web server must return index.html for all routes.

Example nginx configuration:

      server {
          listen 80;
          server_name your-domain.com;
          root /var/www/html;
          index index.html;

          # Cache static assets
          location /assets/ {
              expires 1y;
              add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable";
          }

          # Handle client-side routing - required for RShift Sites projects
          location / {
              try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
          }
      }

Example Apache configuration (.htaccess):

      RewriteEngine On
      RewriteBase /
      RewriteRule ^index\.html$ - [L]
      RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
      RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
      RewriteRule . /index.html [L]

Configure TLS (recommended)

Use Certbot to add a free Let’s Encrypt certificate, or configure your existing SSL certificates.

Result: Your app is served over HTTP(S) from your server.

Host backend and data on a managed provider (Supabase example)

This option is typically chosen when you need direct database access, advanced database features, or clearer separation of infrastructure ownership, without taking on full operational responsibility.

You move your backend services and database to a managed backend provider. The most direct migration path is to managed Supabase, which closely matches the built-in backend’s architecture. The production frontend can run on RShift Sites or elsewhere.

After migration:

• The production frontend needs to point to the new backend
• You can continue using the RShift Sites editor and preview environments during development

This guide uses Supabase as the reference migration path because RShift Sites applications rely on Supabase-compatible services (authentication, storage, realtime, edge functions, and row-level security).

Migration to other backend platforms is possible, but may require implementing equivalent authentication, storage, and backend services depending on your provider.

The detailed steps below describe how to migrate a project from the built-in backend (Cloud) to a managed Supabase instance.

What you’re responsible for

When your backend runs outside RShift Sites, you are responsible for the backend capabilities RShift Sites previously managed, including:

• Database availability, scaling, and backups
• Backend monitoring and incident response
• Row-level security configuration and maintenance
• Authentication provider configuration
• OAuth credentials, redirect URLs, and secret rotation
• Backend environment variables and configuration
• Security scanning for misconfigurations and exposed secrets
• Compliance posture of your backend infrastructure

RShift Sites cannot monitor or debug backend infrastructure it does not control. Managed OAuth configuration and automatic token refresh are only available when the backend runs on the built-in backend (Cloud).

What migrates and how

Manual migration using the Supabase dashboard

Create a new Supabase project

Follow the steps below to create a new Supabase project.

1. Go to supabase.com → New project
2. Choose your organization and fill in:
   • Project name: any name
   • Database password: strong password
   • Region: closest to your users
3. Click Create new project and wait around 2 minutes for the project to initialize.
4. From your new Supabase project settings, save these values:
   • Project ID
   • Public API Key (anon key)
   • Project URL: https://[your-project-id].supabase.co

Update environment variables

Replace the old backend values with new Supabase credentials in your .env file.

1. In your RShift Sites project, go to Code.
2. Locate .env file.
3. Update the old backend values with new Supabase credentials:

         VITE_SUPABASE_PROJECT_ID="your-new-project-id"
         VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY="your-new-anon-key"
         VITE_SUPABASE_URL="https://your-new-project-id.supabase.co"

4. Save changes.

Update Supabase configuration

Replace the old project ID with your new Supabase project ID in your supabase/config.toml file.

1. In your RShift Sites project, go to Code.
2. Locate supabase/config.toml file.
3. Update the old project ID with your new Supabase project ID:

         project_id = "your-new-project-id"

4. Save changes.

Run database migrations

Each project on the built-in backend includes SQL migration files in the supabase/migrations/ folder.

Run them in chronological order based on the timestamp in the filename. They are ordered from earliest to latest. For example:

      20251008155159_[hash].sql   # first - earliest
      20251008155215_[hash].sql   # second

For each migration file in your project, follow the steps below:

1. Copy the entire SQL content from each migration file.
2. Paste it into the SQL editor in your new Supabase project.
3. Run and wait for success message.

Export and import your database data

Request a database export from your project and then import it to your new Supabase project.

Request a database export from Cloud (see Export RShift Sites Cloud data):

1. Go to More → Cloud → Overview → Advanced settings.
2. In Export project data, click Export data.
3. In the Database card, click Export, then click Start export to confirm.
4. RShift Sites emails you when the export is ready. The export is saved to your project’s Cloud storage, so download it from More → Cloud → Storage.

Import your database export into Supabase:

1. Open your new Supabase project.
2. Follow Supabase’s database import guidance for the export format.
3. Verify that tables, records, and relationships are present before switching your app to the new backend.

Reconfigure authentication

If your project requires authentication, you need to manually reconfigure auth providers in your new Supabase project.

1. In your new Supabase project, go to Authentication → Sign In / Providers.
2. Enable and configure each provider.
3. In your OAuth app settings (for example, Google Console, GitHub), update redirect URLs to use your new Supabase project URL.

Migrate storage files

Download any files from storage buckets in your project and upload them to your new Supabase project.

1. In your RShift Sites project, go to More → Cloud → Storage.
2. Download files from your storage buckets.
3. In Supabase, go to Storage and upload files to corresponding buckets.

Set up environment variables and secrets

If you are using any external services (for example, Stripe) in your project, you need to manually reconfigure API keys, tokens, and credentials in your new Supabase project.

1. In your new Supabase project, go to Edge Functions → Manage Secrets.
2. Add any API keys or external service credentials.
3. Save changes.

Verify everything works

When you are done with all of the steps, your app runs entirely on your Supabase backend. Make sure that everything works, for example:

• App loads without errors
• You can create and read database records
• Authentication works
• Storage uploads/downloads succeed

Advanced migration using the Supabase CLI

For developers comfortable with the command line:

  # 1. Install Supabase CLI

  npm install -g @supabase/cli

  # or

  brew install supabase/tap/supabase

  # 2. Update config files (.env + supabase/config.toml)

  # 3. Link to your new Supabase project

  supabase login

  supabase link --project-ref your-new-project-id

  # 4. Push all migrations

  supabase db push

  # 5. Verify schema

  supabase db diff

For provider-specific details, see Supabase documentation.

Host backend and data on your own infrastructure (Supabase example)

This option is intended for strict compliance, data residency, or infrastructure control requirements.

You run the backend and database on infrastructure you operate. The most direct self-hosted path is self-hosted Supabase, which provides the authentication, storage, realtime, and edge function services that RShift Sites applications depend on.

The production frontend can remain on RShift Sites or elsewhere. RShift Sites can still be used for development, or development can fully transition to other tools.

Running only a standalone PostgreSQL database is not sufficient unless you implement equivalent authentication, storage, realtime, and edge services.

What you’re responsible for

When the backend runs on infrastructure you operate, you are responsible for the backend capabilities RShift Sites previously managed, including:

• PostgreSQL operations, backups, and disaster recovery
• Authentication, storage, and realtime service availability and reliability
• Row-level security design and enforcement
• Applying security patches and managing version upgrades
• Edge function deployment and execution
• Performance tuning and scaling
• Monitoring, alerting, and incident response
• Compliance certification of your infrastructure

RShift Sites does not monitor, operate, or debug any part of self-hosted infrastructure, and production previews are not generated for self-hosted production environments.

When self-hosting Supabase, you typically:

• Deploy Supabase in your own infrastructure using Supabase’s official self-hosting with Docker guide.

• Configure PostgreSQL, authentication, storage, and required services.
• Apply the migration files from your RShift Sites project (supabase/migrations/) to your self-hosted instance.
• Update your application environment variables to point at your self-hosted Supabase:

  VITE_SUPABASE_URL=https://your-self-hosted-domain.com
  VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=your-anon-key

For detailed infrastructure setup and operational guidance, follow Supabase’s official self-hosting documentation.

Using RShift Sites to generate Docker deployments

If you prefer a containerized deployment, you can prompt RShift Sites to generate Docker and Docker Compose configurations for your project. The agent will provide generated file details, service ports, and run commands in the project chat. Below are the three supported patterns.

Frontend only

Package just the React app as a static site served by Nginx. Use this when you only want to move your frontend.

For example:

Dockerize this project for frontend-only deployment with Nginx

Backend only (self-hosted Supabase)

Run the full Supabase stack locally without bundling the frontend. Use this when you want to develop the frontend separately or serve it from another host.

For example:

Create a Docker Compose setup for a self-hosted Supabase backend only (no frontend container)

Full stack (frontend + self-hosted Supabase)

Bundle the frontend and a self-hosted Supabase stack in a single Docker Compose setup. Use this for fully self-contained deployments.

For example:

Dockerize this project with a self-hosted Supabase backend bundled in Docker Compose

Manual configuration required for self-hosted Supabase

The agent generates placeholder secrets that must be replaced before use:

1. Generate a JWT secret: openssl rand -base64 32
2. Generate API keys using your JWT secret. Follow the Supabase self-hosting documentation for generating API keys.
3. Replace the following values in docker-compose.yml:
   • JWT_SECRET
   • POSTGRES_PASSWORD
   • ANON_KEY
   • SERVICE_ROLE_KEY

Limitations

• The agent cannot run or test Docker builds. You must verify locally.
• The agent cannot generate real secrets. Placeholders require manual replacement.

Related topics

• How RShift Sites hosts your app
• Deployment, hosting, and ownership options with RShift Sites
• Support policy
• Publish your RShift Sites project
• Sync your RShift Sites project code with GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket