---

name: netlify description: Deploy and manage sites on Netlify. Use when user asks to deploy a site to Netlify, configure netlify.toml, set up redirects/headers, create serverless functions, edge functions, or manage Netlify forms. Covers CLI deployment, build configuration, environment variables, and all Netlify platform features.

Netlify Skill

Deploy, configure, and manage sites on the Netlify platform.

Quick Reference

Task	Command/File
Deploy	netlify deploy --prod
Dev server	netlify dev
Link site	netlify link
Env vars	netlify env:set KEY value
Functions	netlify functions:create
Config	netlify.toml in project root

Deployment Workflow

First-time Setup

# Install CLI
npm install -g netlify-cli

# Login (opens browser)
netlify login

# Initialize new site (in project directory)
netlify init

# Or link existing site
netlify link

Deploy Commands

# Preview deploy (creates unique URL)
netlify deploy

# Production deploy
netlify deploy --prod

# Deploy specific directory
netlify deploy --dir=dist --prod

# Deploy with build
netlify deploy --build --prod

CI/CD Deployment

For GitHub/GitLab auto-deploys, connect repo in Netlify dashboard. Alternatively, use deploy hooks:

curl -X POST -d {} https://api.netlify.com/build_hooks/YOUR_HOOK_ID

Configuration (netlify.toml)

Create netlify.toml in project root:

[build]
  command = "npm run build"
  publish = "dist"
  # Or for specific frameworks
  # publish = "build"        # Create React App
  # publish = ".next"        # Next.js
  # publish = "public"       # Gatsby (after build)

[build.environment]
  NODE_VERSION = "20"

# Redirects
[[redirects]]
  from = "/old-path"
  to = "/new-path"
  status = 301

# SPA fallback
[[redirects]]
  from = "/*"
  to = "/index.html"
  status = 200

# Proxy to API
[[redirects]]
  from = "/api/*"
  to = "https://api.example.com/:splat"
  status = 200

# Headers
[[headers]]
  for = "/*"
  [headers.values]
    X-Frame-Options = "DENY"
    X-Content-Type-Options = "nosniff"
    Cache-Control = "public, max-age=31536000"

# Context-specific settings
[context.production]
  command = "npm run build:prod"

[context.deploy-preview]
  command = "npm run build:preview"

[context.branch-deploy]
  command = "npm run build:staging"

# Functions directory
[functions]
  directory = "netlify/functions"

For detailed configuration options, see references/configuration.md.

Environment Variables

# Set variable
netlify env:set API_KEY "your-secret-key"

# Set for specific context
netlify env:set API_URL "https://staging.api.com" --context deploy-preview

# List all
netlify env:list

# Get specific
netlify env:get API_KEY

# Unset
netlify env:unset API_KEY

# Import from .env file
netlify env:import .env

Access in code:

• Build time: process.env.API_KEY
• Functions: process.env.API_KEY or Netlify.env.get("API_KEY")

Serverless Functions

For detailed function patterns, see references/functions.md.

Quick Start

# Create function interactively
netlify functions:create

# Create with template
netlify functions:create --name hello

Basic Function (netlify/functions/hello.js)

export default async (req, context) => {
  const name = new URL(req.url).searchParams.get("name") || "World";

  return new Response(JSON.stringify({ message: `Hello, ${name}!` }), {
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" }
  });
};

Invoke at: /.netlify/functions/hello?name=Claude

TypeScript Function

import type { Context } from "@netlify/functions";

export default async (req: Request, context: Context) => {
  return new Response("Hello from TypeScript!");
};

Edge Functions

Ultra-fast functions running at the edge (Deno runtime).

Create Edge Function (netlify/edge-functions/geo.ts)

import type { Context } from "@netlify/edge-functions";

export default async (request: Request, context: Context) => {
  return new Response(JSON.stringify({
    country: context.geo.country?.name,
    city: context.geo.city
  }), {
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" }
  });
};

export const config = { path: "/api/geo" };

Configure in netlify.toml

[[edge_functions]]
  path = "/api/geo"
  function = "geo"

Netlify Forms

Add netlify attribute to any HTML form:

<form name="contact" method="POST" data-netlify="true">
  <input type="hidden" name="form-name" value="contact" />
  <input type="text" name="name" required />
  <input type="email" name="email" required />
  <textarea name="message"></textarea>
  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

React Form

<form name="contact" method="POST" data-netlify="true">
  <input type="hidden" name="form-name" value="contact" />
  {/* form fields */}
</form>

Spam Protection

<!-- Honeypot field -->
<form name="contact" data-netlify="true" netlify-honeypot="bot-field">
  <p style="display:none">
    <input name="bot-field" />
  </p>
  <!-- other fields -->
</form>

<!-- reCAPTCHA -->
<form data-netlify="true" data-netlify-recaptcha="true">
  <div data-netlify-recaptcha="true"></div>
  <!-- other fields -->
</form>

Local Development

# Start dev server with functions
netlify dev

# Start on specific port
netlify dev --port 8888

# With live reload
netlify dev --live

Common Patterns

SPA with API Proxy

[build]
  command = "npm run build"
  publish = "dist"

[[redirects]]
  from = "/api/*"
  to = "https://api.backend.com/:splat"
  status = 200
  force = true

[[redirects]]
  from = "/*"
  to = "/index.html"
  status = 200

Static Site with Custom 404

[build]
  publish = "public"

[[redirects]]
  from = "/*"
  to = "/404.html"
  status = 404

Password-Protected Deploy Preview

[context.deploy-preview]
  [context.deploy-preview.environment]
    REQUIRE_AUTH = "true"

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Build fails	Check netlify.toml syntax, verify build command locally
Functions 404	Ensure functions directory matches config
Redirects not working	Add force = true to override existing files
Env vars missing	Check context (production vs preview)

CLI Reference

netlify help              # All commands
netlify sites:list        # List all sites
netlify open              # Open site in browser
netlify open:admin        # Open admin dashboard
netlify logs              # View function logs
netlify logs:function     # View specific function logs
netlify build             # Run build locally
netlify status            # Site info and status