Deploying your project
Deploying your project
Once your GitHub repo is connected, Orbit deploys your project automatically on every push. Here's how the full deploy cycle works.
How automatic deploys work
Whenever you push a commit to your production branch (usually main or master), Orbit:
- Receives a webhook from GitHub
- Queues a new build
- Installs dependencies (
npm install/yarn install/pnpm install) - Runs your build command (e.g.
npm run build) - Packages the output into a deployment artifact
- Serves the new version at your project URL
The whole process typically takes 1–3 minutes for most projects.
Watching a build in progress
While a build runs, the project overview shows a Building status badge and a live build log at the bottom of the page. You can watch the output line by line as it streams in.
Build statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Queued | Waiting for a build slot |
| Building | Installing and building now |
| Deploying | Build done, new version being served |
| Live | Deployment active and serving traffic |
| Failed | Build or deploy error, see logs for details |
| Cancelled | Deployment was cancelled before completing |
Triggering a manual redeploy
To redeploy the latest commit without pushing a new one:
- Open your project in Orbit
- Click Settings (top right of the project overview)
- Under Deploy hooks, create a hook and trigger it, or use the Redeploy button on the most recent deployment in the Deployments tab
Build settings
Orbit auto-detects your framework and sets sensible defaults for most projects. You can override any setting under Settings → Production environment:
| Field | Default | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Build command | Auto-detected | npm run build, next build, vite build |
| Install command | Auto-detected | npm install, yarn, pnpm install |
| Output directory | Auto-detected | dist, .next, out, public |
| Node.js version | Latest LTS | 18, 20, 22 |
| Root directory | Repository root | packages/app (for monorepos) |
Deploy locks
If you need to pause automatic deployments, during an incident, a scheduled maintenance window, or a code freeze, you can lock production:
- Open your project
- Click the Deploy Locked button in the project header
- Enter an optional reason
When locked, push-triggered deployments are skipped. A banner appears at the top of the project overview: "Production deploys are locked." Unlock the same way.
Require deploy approval
For sensitive projects, you can require a manual approval before any deployment goes live. Enable this in Settings → Deploy protection. Pending deployments show an Awaiting approval banner with Approve and Reject buttons.
Build cache
Orbit caches your node_modules between builds to speed up installs. When cache is available, the deployment detail page shows a cache hit indicator and a noticeably faster install time.
To force a clean install, go to Settings → Clear build cache and click Clear cache. The next deploy will run a full install.