Deploy & domain
This kit does not bundle a deploy recipe on purpose. Hosts change their UI, terms, and pricing; the best steps today may be stale next month. Your AI can walk you through whichever host you pick.
Hosts most vibecoders use
There are many hosts you can deploy to; the three most experienced developers reach for first are:
| Host | Notes |
|---|---|
| Vercel | One-click deploys, easy CLI, broad framework support |
| Netlify | Easy CLI or drag-drop, mature platform |
| Cloudflare Pages | Slightly more setup, runs on Cloudflare's edge |
All three support custom domains and free SSL out of the box. If you already use another host (Render, Fly, Railway, AWS, your own VPS), the kit deploys there too — your AI can walk you through whichever one you pick.
Check each host's current free tier, commercial-use terms, and bandwidth limits on their pricing page before committing.
The only paid piece you always need is the domain itself, available at any registrar of your choice.
Deploy: ask your AI
Copy this into the AI you are using (Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, Gemini, whatever):
I have a TanStack Start project locally and I want to deploy it to [Netlify / Vercel / Cloudflare Pages / other]. My project is in this folder. Walk me through it step by step, one command at a time. I am not a developer. Assume I have never deployed anything before. Before running any command that needs an account, tell me which account I need to create and link to the signup page.
Your AI will ask clarifying questions and run the commands. Paste any errors back and it will troubleshoot.
Connect a custom domain
Once the site is live at the host's default URL, you can point your own domain at it. The flow is the same on every host:
- In the host dashboard (Vercel / Netlify / Cloudflare Pages), find "Add domain" or similar.
- Enter your domain.
- The host shows you 2 DNS records to add (usually one
AorCNAMEfor the apex, oneCNAMEforwww). - In your registrar's DNS settings, add those records.
- Wait 5 to 60 minutes. SSL is provisioned automatically.
If anything looks unfamiliar, ask your AI:
I bought a domain on [registrar]. My site is deployed to [host]. Walk me through pointing the domain at the site. I will paste whatever instructions or DNS records you need to see. Ask me for screenshots if the dashboard UI is important.
Tip
If you host on Cloudflare Pages and buy the domain at Cloudflare Registrar, the DNS sits in the same dashboard. Fastest path if you have not committed to either yet.
We do not support a specific host
If something breaks on the host's side (503, DNS stuck, build timeout), that is between you and the host. We have deliberately kept this kit portable so you are not locked in.