Netlify Deployment Cheat Sheet
Deploy static sites and JAMstack apps on Netlify using the CLI, netlify.toml configuration, functions, and build settings.
2 PagesBeginnerFeb 2, 2026
Netlify CLI Basics
Install and use the Netlify CLI to deploy and manage sites.
bash
npm i -g netlify-cli # Install CLInetlify login # Authenticatenetlify init # Link/create a sitenetlify deploy # Deploy a draft (preview) buildnetlify deploy --prod # Deploy to productionnetlify dev # Run local dev server with redirects/functionsnetlify status # Show current site/account infonetlify open # Open site dashboard in browsernetlify env:set API_KEY value # Set an environment variable
netlify.toml Config
Define build settings, redirects, and headers as code.
yaml
[build] command = "npm run build" publish = "dist" functions = "netlify/functions"[[redirects]] from = "/old-path" to = "/new-path" status = 301[[redirects]] from = "/*" to = "/index.html" status = 200[[headers]] for = "/*" [headers.values] X-Frame-Options = "DENY"
Netlify Function
Write a serverless function using the standard handler signature.
javascript
// netlify/functions/hello.jsexports.handler = async (event, context) => { const name = event.queryStringParameters?.name || 'world'; return { statusCode: 200, body: JSON.stringify({ message: `Hello, ${name}!` }), };};
Core Concepts
Key Netlify features for deploying and scaling sites.
- Deploy previews- automatic preview URL generated for every pull request on a linked Git repo
- Split testing- built-in A/B testing across branch deploys via `netlify.toml` branch config
- Netlify Identity- built-in user authentication service for JAMstack sites
- Forms- add `data-netlify="true"` to an HTML `<form>` to get serverless form handling with no backend code
- Edge Functions- Deno-based functions that run at the CDN edge, defined in `netlify/edge-functions`
- Build plugins- reusable build-step hooks configured under `[[plugins]]` in netlify.toml
- Context-based env vars- `[context.production.environment]` and similar blocks scope variables per deploy context
Scheduled Function (Cron)
Run a Netlify Function on a cron schedule using the scheduled-functions integration.
javascript
// netlify/functions/nightly-cleanup.jsimport { schedule } from '@netlify/functions';const handler = async (event) => { console.log('Running nightly cleanup at', event.next_run); // ...do cleanup work... return { statusCode: 200 };};export { handler };// netlify.toml// [functions."nightly-cleanup"]// schedule = "@daily"
Background Function
Suffix a function with -background to run it async for up to 15 minutes without blocking the caller.
javascript
// netlify/functions/send-report-background.jsexports.handler = async (event) => { const { userId } = JSON.parse(event.body); await generateAndEmailReport(userId); // long-running work, up to 15 min // Background functions return 202 immediately to the caller; // this return value is not sent back to the client. return { statusCode: 202 };};
Edge Function with Geo + Rewrite
Deno-based Edge Function that rewrites content based on the visitor's country before it hits the CDN cache.
javascript
// netlify/edge-functions/geo-redirect.jsexport default async (request, context) => { const country = context.geo.country?.code; if (country === 'FR') { return Response.redirect(new URL('/fr', request.url), 302); } const response = await context.next(); response.headers.set('x-visitor-country', country ?? 'unknown'); return response;};export const config = { path: '/*' };
Reverse Proxy Rewrite
Proxy requests to an external API through your own domain using a 200 rewrite to avoid CORS.
yaml
[[redirects]] from = "/api/*" to = "https://api.example.com/:splat" status = 200 force = true headers = { X-From = "netlify-proxy" }# Country-scoped rewrite using the built-in :country placeholder[[redirects]] from = "/pricing" to = "/pricing/eu" status = 200 conditions = { Country = ["DE", "FR", "IT"] }
Advanced Netlify Primitives
Lesser-known building blocks beyond the basic CLI/functions workflow.
- Netlify Blobs- durable key/value + binary object store usable from Functions/Edge Functions without provisioning a database
- On-demand Builders- functions that render once, cache the output at the CDN, and revalidate on a TTL (ISR-style) via `builder()` wrapper
- Atomic deploys- every deploy uploads a full immutable snapshot; instant rollback is just re-pointing production alias to a prior deploy
- Deploy contexts- `production`, `deploy-preview`, `branch-deploy` each get their own env var scoping and build hooks
- Snippet injection- inject `<script>`/`<meta>` into rendered HTML via dashboard rules or `netlify.toml`, no code changes needed
- Large Media- Git LFS-backed storage with on-the-fly image transforms for big binary assets
- Monorepo `base` + `packages`- `[build] base = "apps/web"` scopes a build to a subdirectory so multiple sites can share one repo
Pro Tip
Use the SPA fallback redirect rule (`/* -> /index.html` with status 200, not 301) so client-side routers handle deep links correctly without breaking the browser back button or causing redirect loops.
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