Host a CodePen project as a live URL.
Export the pen as a ZIP and drop it here as it downloads. It opens at its own address, full screen, with no editor or code panes around it.
- 25MBa file on the free plan
- 10 linkslive at once, free
- No capon visitors, on any plan
What they see
Your pen, live at its own address.
The export goes live as a site at its own nudgehost.site address. People who open it see the finished pen full screen, with no code panes and no editor around it. A site uploaded without an account carries a small NudgeHost bar along the bottom until you claim it with a free account.
- Its own nudgehost.site address
- No code panes or editor
- Opens on the built page in dist
Before you upload
What's inside a CodePen export.
Every export holds the pen twice. The code as you typed it sits in src, and the page built for the browser sits in dist. You upload the whole ZIP and the site uses dist.
A plain HTML, CSS and JS pen
The site opens on dist/index.html and loads its styles and scripts from the same folder. There's nothing to unzip and no file to pick.
A pen with Sass, TypeScript or Pug
The preprocessed source stays in src. CodePen's compiled HTML, CSS and JavaScript sit in dist, and that's what visitors get.
A pen that uses libraries
Libraries added in the pen's settings aren't copied into the ZIP. The page links them from their CDN, so they load from there when someone opens it.
How it works
From pen to live site in three steps.
Export the pen
Open the pen and choose Export .zip from the Export menu in the editor's footer. In CodePen's newer editor, Export sits under Pen Actions. The ZIP lands in your downloads.
Drop the ZIP
Drag it onto the uploader without unzipping it. Signed out, the ZIP can be up to 25MB, and you can keep 3 links live at a time.
Send the address
The pen goes live at its own nudgehost.site address. Paste it into a portfolio, a job application or a message to a client.
After you send it
Keep improving the pen at the same address.
Most of this is on the free plan. Passwords, custom domains and the detail behind each visit come with Pro.
Upload a new export over the old one
Change the pen, export it again and upload the new ZIP from your dashboard. The address, the view count and any password or end date stay the same.
See how often it's opened
Free accounts see how many times the site was visited. Pro adds the time and country of each visit, with a CSV export.
Keep a client preview private
On Pro, a password keeps the site closed to anyone without it. Any account can give the link an end date.
Plans
What your site gets on each plan.
| Without an account | Free | Pro | Studio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largest ZIP served as a site | 25MB | 25MB | 100MB | 100MB |
| Largest site once unpacked | 25MB | 25MB | 250MB | 1GB |
| Links live at once | 3 | 10 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| How long a link lasts | 7 days | Until you delete it | Until you delete it | Until you delete it |
| Open tracking | Not included | Open counts | Time and country of each open, CSV export | Same as Pro |
| Password protection | Not included | Not included | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domains | Not included | Not included | 1 | 5 |
| Price | $0 | $0 | $12 a month | $29 a month |
QR codes, end dates and replacing a site work on every account plan. A site uploaded without an account shows a small NudgeHost bar until you claim it with a free account.
Compared
NudgeHost and Tiiny.host, for a CodePen export.
The differences that matter when a pen has to reach someone who won't read the code.
| NudgeHost | Tiiny.host | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 25MB a file, 10 live links | 3MB a file, 1 project |
| Publishing without an account | Yes, up to 25MB | Account needed first |
| An export with src and dist | Opens on dist/index.html, nothing to pick | You pick the start file after upload |
| Banner on a free site | None on a free account | Tiiny Host banner |
| Visits a month | No cap | 5,000 |
| Keeping the site online | Nothing to do | Sign in at least once every three months |
Figures last verified 9 October 2026, from each service’s published plans.
Read the full comparisonPens and links
Why host the pen instead of sending the CodePen link.
A pen's usual link opens it inside CodePen, with the code beside the result. That suits other developers who want to read or fork it. For a recruiter, a client or a portfolio, hosting the export gives a page with only the result, at an address of its own.
The export is a small static site, so it goes up the same way as any zipped site. If the pen is one self-contained page, you can also publish the HTML on its own.
A pen makes a good second link in a job application, next to a portfolio sent the same way. For more than one pen or a whole site, free web hosting for static sites covers the rest.
The free plan keeps 10 links live with no end date.
Guides
More ways to put your work online.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to unzip the export first?
No. Drop the ZIP as it downloaded from CodePen. NudgeHost looks inside it, opens the site on dist/index.html and loads the page's styles and scripts from that folder.
Which index.html does the site use?
The one in dist. A CodePen export holds an index.html in src, with the code as you typed it, and one in dist, built for the browser. When both sit at the same level, NudgeHost uses the one in a dist, build or out folder.
Will a pen written in Sass, TypeScript or Pug work?
Yes. CodePen compiles it into dist when it builds the pen, and the site serves those compiled files. The source in src is uploaded with the rest but isn't used for the page.
What about libraries I added in the pen's settings?
CodePen links them from their CDN in dist/index.html instead of copying them into the ZIP, so they load from there when someone opens the site.
Can people see my code?
A browser can always read a page's HTML, CSS and JavaScript, as on any website. The src folder in the export can be reached by its address too, so delete it from the ZIP before you upload if you'd rather not publish the original source.
Do I need a CodePen account?
CodePen's docs say you need to be signed in to export a pen. The person you send the link to needs no account anywhere.
Can I share it without making a NudgeHost account?
Yes. The site goes live straight away and lasts 7 days, and you can hold 3 links at once. Until you sign up and claim it, every page shows a small NudgeHost bar along the bottom.
How do I update the pen after sharing the link?
Export the pen again and upload the new ZIP over the old one from your dashboard, on any account plan. The address, the view count and any password or end date stay the same.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes, on Pro and Studio. Pro holds 1 custom domain and Studio holds 5, and each one points at a zipped site on a subdomain you own, such as demo.yourname.com.
Will Google find it?
Not at its nudgehost.site address. Those addresses ask search engines not to list them, so the pen is for the people you send the link to. Connect your own domain on Pro or Studio and the site on that domain can be indexed like any other website.
How big can the export be?
On the free plan, the ZIP and the unpacked site both have to fit in 25MB. On Pro and Studio the ZIP can be up to 100MB, and the site it unpacks into can grow to 250MB on Pro or 1GB on Studio.
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