AMPLE

REACT DEPLOYMENT

How to deploy a React app without DevOps

Deploy a React frontend by letting Ample detect whether it is a static Vite build or part of a server-rendered application.

By Ample ComputerUpdated July 30, 2026

DIRECT ANSWER

The short version

You do not need to hand-configure a server to deploy a React app. Ample inspects the project, runs its production build, and publishes the result using the runtime the project needs. A Vite React app is usually a static deployment, while a Next.js or custom React server uses a Node runtime.

WHO THIS IS FOR

Before you start

This guide is for React builders who can run the app locally but do not want to configure a VM, reverse proxy, certificate, and release process themselves.

STEP BY STEP

How to do it

  1. 1

    Confirm the React project type

    Check package.json and the framework config. Vite, Next.js, and custom Node servers have different production outputs even though they all use React.

  2. 2

    Run a production build locally

    Use the project's existing build script. Fix missing imports, type errors, and required public environment variables before deploying.

    npm run build
  3. 3

    Let Ample plan the runtime

    The plan records whether the app is static or needs Node, along with any linked API or database.

    ample plan --write
  4. 4

    Deploy

    Apply the plan and wait for the public URL. The platform activates the release after its health check succeeds.

    ample up

FIT CHECK

What this supports

Good fit

  • Vite React static sites
  • Next.js React applications
  • React frontends linked to a separate API
  • npm, pnpm, yarn, and bun projects

Know the limits

  • React alone does not identify the production runtime
  • Browser-visible environment variables are public and must not contain secrets
  • Workspace projects with internal packages should deploy from the workspace root

TROUBLESHOOTING

Common failure modes

The browser loads an empty root

Check asset paths, client errors, and the built output rather than relying only on the development server.

The frontend calls localhost

Inject the deployed API URL through a framework-appropriate public environment variable or Ample link.

A workspace package cannot be resolved

Deploy from the workspace root and keep the workspace lockfile and sibling package available to the build.

KEEP READING