Deploy Your Site

Once you've built your Kiln site, deploying it is straightforward. Static sites can be hosted anywhere.

Build Output

Running kiln build generates a _site/ directory with:

• Static HTML files
• CSS and JavaScript
• Images and other assets

This entire directory is what you deploy.

GitHub Pages

GitHub Pages is perfect for Kiln sites hosted on GitHub:

1. Push your site to a GitHub repository
2. In repository settings, enable GitHub Pages
3. Set the source branch (usually main or gh-pages)
4. Your site is live at https://username.github.io/repo

Automate this with GitHub Actions:

name: Build and Deploy
                
                on:
                  push:
                    branches: [main]
                
                jobs:
                  build:
                    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
                    steps:
                      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
                      - name: Setup .NET
                        uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v3
                        with:
                          dotnet-version: '10.x'
                      - run: dotnet run --project src/Kiln.Cli -- build .
                      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
                        uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v3
                        with:
                          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
                          publish_dir: ./_site
                

Azure Static Web Apps

Azure SWA offers global distribution and edge caching:

1. Create a Static Web App in Azure Portal
2. Connect your GitHub repository
3. Configure the build output directory: _site
4. Deploy automatically on every push

Netlify

Netlify's drag-and-drop interface makes deployment simple:

1. Create a netlify.toml:

   [build]
                   command = "dotnet run --project src/Kiln.Cli -- build ."
                   publish = "_site"
                   

2. Connect your GitHub repository in Netlify Dashboard
3. Your site is live with automatic deployments

Vercel

Vercel works similarly to Netlify:

1. Import your GitHub project
2. Set build command: dotnet run --project src/Kiln.Cli -- build .
3. Set output directory: _site
4. Deploy with one click

Custom Servers

For any web server (Apache, Nginx, custom VPS):

1. Build locally: kiln build
2. Upload _site/ directory via FTP, SCP, or Git
3. Configure your web server to serve the content
4. Optionally set up automated deployments with webhooks

Performance Tips

• Enable gzip compression in your web server
• Use a CDN for global distribution
• Set proper cache headers for static assets
• Minify CSS and JavaScript (optional, can be added as build step)

Deploying a Kiln site is as simple as uploading static files. Choose the platform that fits your needs!