Netlify

Netlify is a hosting and deployment platform that allows us to build, deploy, and host websites directly from a Git repository. It automates the deployment process and provides visibility into build status, deploy history, and errors.

At Terra, we mainly use Netlify with Astro projects, and occasionally to deploy small, specific setups (for example, supporting functionality for a Webflow project, such as integrations with external services like Mailgun).

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Overview

Netlify works by connecting a website directly to a Git repository.

Once a project is linked:

• Netlify listens for new commits
• builds the project automatically
• deploys the latest version to a live URL

This makes Netlify ideal for fast iteration, testing, and reliable deployments without manual steps.

In most cases, deployments are fully automatic.

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Deploying a project

A typical Netlify setup looks like this:

• Access Netlify and select New site from Git
• Link the repository you want to deploy
• Configure build settings (build command and output folder)
• Netlify generates a staging and production URL

Once connected:

• every commit to the configured branch triggers a new deploy
• the live site updates automatically after a successful build

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Deploy status and troubleshooting

To check whether a project is correctly deployed:

• Go to the project dashboard in Netlify
• Open the Deploys section
• Each deploy shows:
  • build status (success / failed)
  • timestamp
  • commit reference
  • logs

If something breaks, this is the first place to look.

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Best practices

• Always verify deploy status after pushing changes.
• Careful with your Github commits: eveything will be deployed
• Check the Deploys tab if something doesn’t look right.
• Avoid manual changes outside the Git workflow.
• Use clear commit messages to make deploy history easier to read.
• When in doubt, ask before changing build or environment settings.