Webstead
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Getting started

1. Create an account

Register with an email and password — no credit card, no waitlist. During the public beta every plan is free.

2. Choose how you want to deploy

Webstead supports three ways to get a site live:

  • From GitHub — connect a repository (or paste a public owner/repo), pick a branch, and we auto-detect your framework's build settings. See Deploying from GitHub for details.
  • Direct upload — drag a folder or a zip file of already-built static assets (an index.html and friends). No build step, no GitHub account required.
  • A Webstead starter — pick a template and start editing straight away, no local tooling at all.

3. Your first deploy

Once you create a site, Webstead provisions an asset canister on the Internet Computer, funds it with cycles, and publishes your build output. This takes anywhere from a few seconds (direct upload) to a couple of minutes (a GitHub build). You'll see a live deploy log the whole way through.

4. Your site is live at a free subdomain

Every site gets a {your-slug}.webstead.app address automatically — no DNS setup required. From there you can:

  • Add a custom domain if you'd rather use your own.
  • Set build-time environment variables (VITE_API_URL, NEXT_PUBLIC_*, or any key your build needs) on the site's Environment tab. They're encrypted at rest and only used during the build — asset canisters don't run a server, so there's no runtime to read them at request time.
  • Turn on auto-deploy so every push to your branch republishes the site.

5. Keep an eye on cycles

Your site runs on cycles, the Internet Computer's on-chain compute currency. We show this as a runway — days of normal operation left — rather than a raw balance, and fund it for you under a monthly top-up budget during the beta. Full explanation: Cycles, runway, and top-ups.

Where to go next