What you need
- A folder containing your web app files (at minimum, an
index.html) - A free Porch account (no credit card required)
Porch hosts static files: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, fonts, and JSON data. It does not run server-side code like PHP, Python, or Node.js — for frameworks like Next.js, you need a static export (see below).
Step 1: Prepare your folder
Make sure your folder has an index.html at the root level — that’s the file Porch serves when someone visits your URL. If your app came from a framework build, the output folder (usually dist/ or out/) will have this already.
Step 2: Create a new Porch
Sign in to Porch and click + New Porch. On the new Porch screen, you have two options:
- Drag the folder directly onto the upload zone. Porch reads all the files inside and deploys them.
- Click to open a folder picker and select your project folder from the file browser.
Step 3: Name your Porch and deploy
Give your app a name. The URL slug is generated automatically from the name — you can edit it if you want something specific. Click Deploy. Porch uploads your files, deploys them, and gives you a live URL in about 30 seconds.
Step 4: Choose who can see it
The default access mode is Public — anyone with the link can open it. Change it at any time from your Porch dashboard:
- Password — one password protects the door. Full guide →
- Invite-only — specify email addresses; each person gets a magic link, no Porch account needed
Deploying framework builds (React, Vue, Next.js, etc.)
If your project uses a JavaScript framework, you need to run the build first to get a static output folder:
For Next.js, you need to configure static export in next.config.js (output: 'export') before running the build. This produces an out/ folder you can upload directly.
Deploying Bolt, Lovable, or other AI tool exports
These tools generate Vite + React projects that need a build step before uploading. We have dedicated step-by-step guides for each:
The short version for any Vite-based project: run npm install && npm run build, then upload the dist/ output folder to Porch.