Static Sites quick start

Deploy a static website or single-page application in just a few minutes.

Prerequisites

• A DanubeData account

Step 1: Navigate to Static Sites

1. Click Static Sites in the sidebar
2. Click Create Static Site

Step 2: Configure your site

Fill in the creation form:

1. Site name — A descriptive name for your site (e.g., my-portfolio)
2. Slug — Auto-generated from the name. Your site URL will be https://{slug}.pages.danubedata.ro
3. Description — Optional description for your reference

Step 3: Choose a plan

Tip: Start with the Free plan for personal projects and testing. Upgrade any time from the site settings.

Step 4: Choose a deployment method

Option A: ZIP upload

Best for pre-built sites and quick deployments.

1. Select ZIP Upload as the deployment method
2. Click Create Static Site
3. On the site detail page, click Upload and select your ZIP file containing the site files

Your ZIP file should contain the built site files (HTML, CSS, JS, images) at the root level or in a subdirectory matching your publish directory setting.

Option B: Git repository

Best for continuous deployment from source control.

1. Select Git Repository as the deployment method
2. Enter your Repository URL (e.g., https://github.com/username/my-site)
3. Set the Branch (defaults to main)
4. Set the Publish directory — the folder containing your built files (e.g., dist, build, public, or / for root)
5. For private repositories, select an authentication method:
   • SSH Key — Paste your deploy key
   • Access Token — Enter a personal access token
6. Click Create Static Site

The first build starts automatically. Subsequent pushes to the configured branch trigger new builds.

Option C: CLI push

Best for CI/CD pipelines and automated workflows.

1. Select CLI Push as the deployment method
2. Click Create Static Site
3. Use the API to deploy:

# Create a tarball of your site files
tar -czf site.tar.gz -C ./dist .

# Deploy via API
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -F "file=@site.tar.gz" \
  https://api.danubedata.ro/api/v1/static-sites/{site-id}/deploy

Step 5: Wait for the build

After uploading or pushing, your site goes through these stages:

1. Pending — Build queued
2. Building — Container image being built
3. Deploying — Site being deployed to infrastructure
4. Active — Site is live

The dashboard updates in real time. Most builds complete within 1-2 minutes.

Step 6: Visit your site

Once the status shows Active, your site is live at:

https://{slug}.pages.danubedata.ro

Click the URL on the site detail page to open it in a new tab.

Step 7: Set up webhooks for Git (optional)

If you chose Git repository deployment, set up automatic builds on push:

1. On the site detail page, find the Git Configuration section
2. Copy the Webhook URL and Webhook Secret
3. In your Git provider (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket):
   • Go to repository Settings > Webhooks
   • Add a new webhook with the URL and secret from the dashboard
   • Select Push events only
4. Enable Auto-deploy on push in the site settings

Now every push to your configured branch triggers a new deployment automatically.

Step 8: Add a custom domain (optional)

Available on Starter and Pro plans:

1. Go to the site detail page
2. Click the Domains tab
3. Click Add Domain and enter your domain (e.g., www.example.com)
4. Add the DNS TXT record shown in the dashboard to your DNS provider:
   • Record name — _danubedata-verify.your-domain.com
   • Record value — The verification token from the dashboard
5. Click Verify once the DNS record is in place
6. Add a CNAME record pointing your domain to {slug}.pages.danubedata.ro
7. A TLS certificate is provisioned automatically after the CNAME is active

Common operations

Troubleshooting

Build failed

• Check the build logs on the site detail page for error details
• Ensure your ZIP file contains valid static files (HTML, CSS, JS)
• Verify the ZIP is not corrupted and is under 200 MB
• For Git deployments, verify the repository URL and credentials are correct

Site shows "404 Not Found"

• Ensure your site has an index.html file at the root of the publish directory
• For SPAs, verify that the publish directory setting matches your build output folder

Custom domain not working

• Verify the DNS TXT record is in place and verification status shows Verified
• Ensure you have added a CNAME record pointing to {slug}.pages.danubedata.ro
• DNS changes may take up to 24 hours to propagate, though most take only minutes
• The TLS certificate is provisioned after the CNAME is active — check the TLS status in the dashboard

Git webhook not triggering builds

• Verify the webhook URL and secret match what is shown in the dashboard
• Check that the webhook is configured for push events
• Ensure Auto-deploy on push is enabled in the site settings
• Check the webhook delivery logs in your Git provider for errors

Next steps

• Static Sites product documentation — Full feature reference including plans, caching, and technical specs
• Custom domains — DNS verification and TLS setup
• Git deployments — Webhooks and auto-deploy

Questions? Contact support at support@danubedata.ro