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Create the site in the editor or AI-assisted tool you prefer. Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Lovable, Bolt, ChatGPT and Gemini can help create a project; Host Luma does not claim a product integration with each tool.
GitHub publishing for supported static websites
Publish your website from GitHub without making server work part of your release process.
Host Luma provides GitHub website hosting in the UK for supported static projects: keep the source in GitHub, publish through the Host Luma workflow, then review the result on a permanent HTTPS preview URL.
For static HTML and supported frontend projects that produce static output. Tool-specific guides: Claude Code, Codex and Cursor.
Quick answer
What is GitHub website hosting?
It is a publishing workflow that uses a GitHub repository as the source for a website. Host Luma publishes supported static project output, gives the project an HTTPS preview URL, and records deployment status and build logs in the Portal.
This is GitHub website hosting for static output. It is not a promise that every repository, framework or generated application can run unchanged. Projects that need a long-running Node server, PHP, a database, server-side rendering, Docker or background workers are outside the public AI Hosting workflow today.
Project fit
Who this is for
GitHub Website Hosting is a good fit when you have a website project that can be served as static files: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images and other assets. The important question is not which editor made the first version; it is whether the completed project can generate static output.
| You have… | Good fit? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A static HTML website | Yes | Static files are the direct fit for the current publishing model. |
| A Vite or Astro project | Usually | These projects can build static output through the supported npm-based build path. |
| A React project | Usually | It must build to static files rather than require an application server. |
| A Next.js static export | Yes, when exported | output: 'export' produces static output; server-only Next.js features do not fit this model. |
| A WordPress website | No | WordPress requires PHP and a database. Use Managed WordPress Hosting instead. |
| An Express, Laravel or Docker application | No | These require an application runtime beyond static-site publishing. |
Simple test: after the build finishes, can the project be served as files without an always-on process? If yes, it is a sensible project to assess for Host Luma AI Hosting.
Workflow
How the GitHub publishing workflow works
The workflow is designed to make a release trail clearer, not to hide it behind a “deploy” button.
Keep the source in GitHub
GitHub is the connected project provider available in the public workflow today. The repository gives your project a visible source history and a practical place for the next change.
Publish supported output
Static HTML can be published as static files. Supported frontend projects use the npm-based build path, then publish the generated static output.
Review the result
The Portal records deployment status, deployment history and build information. If a build fails, start with the result and logs rather than guessing at server paths.
Share the preview URL
A successful project receives a permanent hostluma.app preview URL with HTTPS. This is the public sharing route available today.
Iterate through GitHub
Make the next change in the repository and publish through the same route. With automatic publishing configured, future changes follow the established workflow.
Current product
What Host Luma publishes today
Host Luma AI Hosting is deliberately specific about its current runtime model. It publishes supported static output, including static HTML and supported frontend build output. That makes it useful for many public websites while keeping the operational model straightforward.
Supported static project types
- Static HTML, CSS, JavaScript and asset websites
- Vite projects that build to static output
- Astro sites that build to static output
- React projects that produce static files
- Next.js projects configured for static export
The build path uses npm for supported frontend projects. If a repository contains a lockfile, the workflow uses npm’s appropriate dependency-install route before running the project build. pnpm and yarn are not currently presented as supported build-package-manager contracts; use an npm-compatible project or ask support to assess the project before you rely on another package manager.
What is not part of the current public workflow
- Long-running Node or Express servers
- PHP or Laravel applications
- WordPress
- Docker workloads
- Persistent background workers or queues
- Server-side rendering and custom API runtimes
- Large database-backed applications
Private repositories: they can be configured through a per-application deploy-key flow. Access must be set up and verified for that application; do not assume a private repository will publish without the required GitHub access configuration.
Why GitHub
Why GitHub is a practical publishing source
GitHub is not only a place to store files. For a website team, it provides a shared record of the source code and the changes that produced the next release.
| Common problem | A GitHub-centred workflow helps because… |
|---|---|
| Nobody knows which folder is live | The source project lives in a repository, not in a local download folder. |
| A change works locally but not after publishing | The build and publishing result can be reviewed through deployment status and logs. |
| A team loses track of who changed what | The project’s Git history remains the record of source changes. |
Host Luma does not replace GitHub, your code review process or responsibility for the code you publish. It provides the hosting-side path from a connected, supported project to a published static result.
Preview and HTTPS
Preview URLs with HTTPS
Every AI Hosting project gets a permanent hostluma.app preview URL with HTTPS. This gives you a stable place to review a published version, share a work-in-progress site or complete a client sign-off before making a domain decision.
Customer custom-domain attachment and global CDN delivery are included: attach one custom domain per project from the portal, verify ownership, and Host Luma handles the certificate. The Host Luma roadmap is the current source for what's shipped versus planned.
Deployment visibility
Deployment history and logs: what they are for
A build failure is less frustrating when it leaves a useful trail. The Host Luma Portal provides deployment status, history and build information so you can see whether the connected project published or needs attention.
Check project fit
Was the project type suitable for static output? A dynamic runtime requirement is a fit problem, not a log problem.
Check the normal build
Confirm the repository’s build setup before treating the hosting path as the only possible cause.
Read the result
Use the status and build logs to understand the hosting-side outcome, then correct the project in GitHub and publish again through the same workflow.
Host Luma support can help with the hosting-side publishing workflow, preview URLs, HTTPS, account access and interpreting the publishing state. Your application code, external APIs and project content remain your responsibility.
Examples
Real-world static website examples
The current workflow is most useful when the public site is the product being published, not a thin front end that secretly depends on an unsupported server.
- Restaurant websiteMenu, location and enquiry website, with booking handled by an external service.
- SaaS landing pageWaitlist or static product marketing site.
- PortfolioPersonal work, case studies or a creative showcase.
- Agency client siteA brochure site or campaign page kept in a client-approved repository.
- DocumentationA knowledge-base site that builds to static output.
- Launch pageAn AI-assisted project maintained in GitHub.
For each example, the same test applies: it must be possible to publish the user-facing result as static files. A chatbot interface can fit if its service is elsewhere; the chatbot service itself is not a custom API runtime provided by current AI Hosting.
Before you connect
A five-minute pre-flight check
The easiest first deployment is a project that has already passed a few ordinary checks. This is not extra hosting ceremony; it is a way to avoid discovering a project-fit issue after you have started a purchase.
| Check | What good looks like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Repository | The website source is in a GitHub repository you can access. | GitHub is the connected source route in the public workflow. |
| Project type | The site is static HTML or produces static output after its normal build. | Static output is what the current product publishes. |
| Local build | For a framework project, its normal build command completes on your computer. | It narrows a problem to project setup before a hosting-side investigation. |
| Output | You know the folder created by the build, commonly dist, build or out. | The workflow needs generated static files, not development source alone. |
| Dependencies | Any API, form, booking tool or analytics service is understood as an external service. | Static sites can use browser-side services, but Host Luma is not an API or database runtime. |
Build output is the important distinction
Many modern frontend projects have two different modes. A development server is used while you are editing: it may watch files, provide hot reload and run local-only helpers. A production build creates the files that visitors receive. The second mode is the relevant one for static website hosting.
A Vite project commonly creates a dist directory. An Astro project can generate static pages and assets. A Next.js project can be suitable when it uses static export and creates the out directory. Those folders are not product promises by themselves: project configuration can change them. They are practical signals to check before you publish.
Choosing between AI Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting
Choose AI Hosting when your website is a GitHub-managed static project and you want the connected publishing workflow, preview URL with HTTPS, deployment visibility and build logs. Choose Managed WordPress Hosting when the website is WordPress and depends on the WordPress/PHP/database model. Do not migrate a WordPress site into a static publishing product simply because an AI tool helped write some of its content or code.
Frequently asked questions
GitHub Website Hosting FAQ
Do I need Linux, cPanel or FTP?
No. The intended customer workflow is the Host Luma Portal and a connected GitHub project, not server administration or manual file uploads.
Can I use a GitHub organisation repository?
Organisation-owned repository access needs assessment and authorisation for the connected GitHub setup. It is not presented as an unconditional self-service promise. Contact support before depending on that workflow.
Can I redeploy a project?
The normal re-publish route is to correct or update the project in GitHub and publish the next change through the connected workflow. A separate customer-facing manual redeploy control is not part of this public product promise.
Can I delete a deployment or reconnect GitHub myself?
Do not assume customer-facing deployment deletion or self-service reconnect controls. Contact support if a project or repository connection needs to change so access and deployment configuration can be reviewed safely.
Is this a GitHub Pages replacement?
It is a different managed publishing route for supported static projects. The relevant question is whether Host Luma’s Portal, preview URL with HTTPS, deployment visibility and support fit your workflow. Compare the current product capabilities before moving a project.
Start with the right project
Keep the source in GitHub. Publish a supported static result.
The fastest path is not to force every application into static hosting. Start with a supported static project, keep the source in GitHub and use the Host Luma publishing path to create a visible result you can review.
Page owner: Host Luma editorial team. Technical review: Host Luma hosting team. Last updated: 1 August 2026.
Revision history
Version 1 — 1 August 2026: initial supporting page for the canonical AI App Hosting pillar.