Step by step
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Check your project type
- Static / SPA: Build outputs dist/, build/ or out/.
- Server app / API / bot: Has a start command that keeps running, often a Dockerfile.
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Get the code onto GitHub
- Ask it to initialise git and create a GitHub repo, or run git init / git push yourself.
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Create the project on DigitalOcean App Platform
Control Panel → Apps → Create App, pick GitHub/GitLab as the source and the branch; App Platform detects the runtime.
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Check the build settings
If Output Directory is empty, App Platform scans for
_static,dist,public,build.For Claude Code: build command
From package.json / Dockerfile, output Depends on framework. -
Add environment variables before the first build
In DigitalOcean App Platform: App → Settings → App-level environment variables (choose build-time scope for
VITE_*values). Copy these from Claude Code:-
Everything in .env — add each value in the host dashboard.
Changed a value later? Rebuild. Vite bakes variables in at build time. Troubleshoot missing env vars
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Make page refreshes work (Vite / React Router single-page apps)
App → Settings → your static site → Custom Pages # Custom Pages → Catchall → Page Name: index.htmlServer-rendered projects (TanStack Start, Next.js) don't need this. DigitalOcean App Platform docs (opens in a new tab)
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Update login redirect URLs
Add your new DigitalOcean App Platform URL (and later your custom domain) to your auth provider's allowed URLs. Redirect troubleshooting
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Add your domain
App → Settings → Domains → Add domain, then point DNS as instructed (or let DigitalOcean manage DNS).
What it will cost
Free tier Free: 3 static-site apps, 1 GiB outbound transfer per app per month. Paid from $5/mo: Containers from $5/month (1 shared vCPU, 512 MiB, 50 GiB transfer). Dev database $7/month. Checked 17 Oct 2026 on DigitalOcean App Platform's pricing page (opens in a new tab).
- 1 GiB/month of transfer is small — a popular static app will pay overage or should live on Cloudflare Pages.