Put a website online from a ZIP file

1. Build or export the site so its folder holds an index.html. Build tools usually write it to a folder named dist, build or out.
2. Zip that folder. A single folder wrapped around everything is removed, so zipping the folder or its contents both work.
3. Click Choose the link name under the upload box if you want a particular address, then upload the ZIP.
4. Copy the link. The site opens at your-name.nudgehost.site, and nudgehost.com/your-name sends visitors there.

The ZIP needs a file named index.html, in any folder. An index.htm doesn't count, and a ZIP without one stays a download. When there's more than one, NudgeHost uses the one closest to the top, and on a tie the one inside a dist, build or out folder. The glossary explains the index.html file in more detail.

• Up to 200 files a site.
• The unpacked files together must fit your plan's file limit, 25MB on the free plan.
• A ZIP over 100MB is never unpacked, so it stays a download on every plan.
• A password-protected ZIP, a ZIP inside the ZIP, a symbolic link or an unsafe file path is refused, with a message saying which.
• __MACOSX folders, .DS_Store, Thumbs.db, desktop.ini and files whose names start with a dot aren't served.

• /about opens about.html, or about/index.html if there's no about.html.
• A path with no file extension that matches nothing gets index.html, so a single page app's own routes load on a direct visit.
• A missing file with an extension, such as an image, gets a 404.

That fallback is how single page apps expect to be served.

Open File settings on the site's row, click Choose file under Replace file and pick the new ZIP. The address stays the same. On a paid plan you can also serve a zipped site from your own domain. If the site doesn't unpack or parts of it break, the guide to upload errors covers each case.