SolidStart Deployment

Complete guide to deploying SolidStart applications to various platforms. Understand build processes, platform configurations, and deployment strategies.

Build Process

SolidStart builds your application for production:

# Build for production
npm run build

# Output directory
dist/

Build output:

• Client bundle
• Server bundle (for SSR)
• Static assets
• HTML files

Platform-Specific Deployment

Vercel

Web Interface:

1. Connect GitHub repository
2. Configure build settings
3. Add environment variables
4. Deploy

CLI:

npm i -g vercel
vercel

Configuration:

• Automatic detection for SolidStart
• Serverless functions
• Edge functions support
• Environment variables in dashboard

Netlify

Web Interface:

1. Connect Git repository
2. Set publish directory to dist
3. Configure build command
4. Add environment variables

CLI:

npm i -g netlify-cli
netlify init

netlify.toml:

[build]
  command = "npm run build"
  publish = "dist"

[[redirects]]
  from = "/*"
  to = "/index.html"
  status = 200

Cloudflare Pages

Configuration:

• Build command: npm run build
• Build output: dist
• Node.js version: 18+

Environment variables:

• Set in Cloudflare dashboard

AWS (FlightControl/SST)

FlightControl:

• AWS deployment with minimal config
• Automatic infrastructure setup
• Environment variable management

SST:

• Infrastructure as code
• Serverless architecture
• Custom AWS resources

Other Platforms

Railway:

• Simple Node.js deployment
• Automatic builds from Git
• Environment variables

Firebase:

• Hosting for static sites
• Functions for server code
• Environment config

Stormkit:

• Git-based deployment
• Environment management
• Preview deployments

Zerops:

• Container-based deployment
• Automatic scaling
• Environment variables

Environment Variables

Build-Time Variables

Set in platform dashboard or .env files:

VITE_API_URL=https://api.example.com
VITE_APP_NAME=My App

Runtime Variables (Server)

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...
API_SECRET_KEY=secret123

Platform-specific:

• Vercel: Dashboard → Settings → Environment Variables
• Netlify: Site settings → Environment variables
• Cloudflare: Pages → Settings → Environment variables

SSR vs SPA Deployment

SSR Deployment

Requirements:

• Node.js runtime
• Server-side rendering support
• Streaming support (optional)

Platforms:

• Vercel (serverless functions)
• Netlify (serverless functions)
• Cloudflare Workers
• AWS Lambda
• Node.js servers

Configuration:

// app.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
  server: {
    preset: "node-server", // or platform-specific
  },
});

SPA Deployment

Requirements:

• Static hosting
• Client-side routing
• No server needed

Platforms:

• Netlify (static)
• Vercel (static)
• Cloudflare Pages
• GitHub Pages
• Any static host

Configuration:

// app.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
  ssr: false, // Disable SSR
});

Edge Deployment

Deploy to edge locations for low latency:

Cloudflare Workers:

// app.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
  server: {
    preset: "cloudflare-workers",
  },
});

Vercel Edge:

• Automatic edge deployment
• Edge functions support
• Global distribution

Build Configuration

Build Command

# Standard build
npm run build

# With environment
NODE_ENV=production npm run build

Output Directory

Default: dist/

Configure in app.config.ts:

export default defineConfig({
  vite: {
    build: {
      outDir: "dist",
    },
  },
});

Common Deployment Patterns

Static Site Generation

// Generate static pages
export default defineConfig({
  ssr: false,
  prerender: true,
});

Hybrid Rendering

// Some routes SSR, some static
export default defineConfig({
  server: {
    preset: "node-server",
  },
});

Serverless Functions

// Deploy as serverless
export default defineConfig({
  server: {
    preset: "vercel", // or "netlify"
  },
});

Environment-Specific Builds

Development

npm run dev

Production

npm run build
npm run start

Preview

npm run build
npm run preview

Best Practices

1. Set environment variables:

   • Use platform dashboard
   • Never commit secrets
   • Use different values per environment

2. Configure build settings:

   • Set correct build command
   • Set output directory
   • Configure Node.js version

3. Handle routing:

   • SPA: Redirect all to index.html
   • SSR: Configure server properly

4. Optimize assets:

   • Enable compression
   • Use CDN for static assets
   • Optimize images

5. Monitor deployments:

   • Check build logs
   • Test after deployment
   • Set up error tracking

Troubleshooting

Build Fails

• Check Node.js version
• Verify environment variables
• Review build logs
• Check dependencies

Routing Issues

• Configure redirects for SPA
• Check server configuration for SSR
• Verify route definitions

Environment Variables Not Working

• Check variable names (VITE_ prefix)
• Verify platform configuration
• Restart build after changes

Summary

• Build: npm run build → dist/
• Platforms: Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare, AWS, etc.
• SSR: Requires Node.js/serverless runtime
• SPA: Static hosting only
• Environment: Set variables in platform dashboard
• Edge: Deploy to edge locations for performance