Publish your app
In shortClick Publish in the workspace header, then Publish site. MonstarX builds your app and puts it online at https://your-app.monstarx.app with HTTPS — no hosting to set up. Your changes after that stay in the preview until you click Republish, so visitors only see a version you chose to publish.
Publishing puts your app on the internet so anyone with the link can use it. MonstarX takes care of the hosting: there is no server to rent, nothing to install and no settings to fill in. Every published app gets a free address like lotus-flow-yoga.monstarx.app, with HTTPS (the padlock in the browser) from the start.
What is the difference between the preview and the published app?
Section titled “What is the difference between the preview and the published app?”| The preview | The published app | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can open it | Only you and the people you shared the project with | Anyone with the link |
| Its address | Temporary — it changes when the preview restarts | Stays the same: your-app.monstarx.app (or your own domain) |
| When it changes | As MonstarX builds, every change shows at once | Only when you publish again |
| What it is for | Building, trying things, testing | Your real users and customers |
So you can keep building in the preview — even break things and restore a version — while visitors keep using the version you published.
How do I publish my app?
Section titled “How do I publish my app?”-
Open your project. When the app looks right in the preview, click Publish in the top bar (the rocket, at the right).
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The Publish your site menu opens. Click Publish site.
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A progress bar shows each stage: Preparing your site, Building your site, then Putting your site online. You can close the menu — it says You can close this menu. Publishing will continue.
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When it is done, the menu says Your site is live with the address. Click Visit site to open it in a new tab, or Copy link to paste it anywhere.
The button in the header now reads Published (on a phone, Live), so you can see at a glance that the app is online.
What do visitors see?
Section titled “What do visitors see?”Visitors see your app exactly as it looked in the preview when you published: the same pages, the same design, working sign-up and sign-in, and the same database. They do not see MonstarX, the chat or the code — just your app, at its own address, with HTTPS.
The published app uses the app’s real database, so orders, bookings and accounts that people create there are real. You can see and manage them in the Admin tab and under Backend.
How do I publish my changes?
Section titled “How do I publish my changes?”Nothing you change after publishing reaches visitors until you publish again. When you are happy with the new version:
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Click Published in the header.
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Click Republish.
The old version keeps serving visitors while the new one is built. If the new one fails, the menu shows Your published site is still available above the error, so you know your visitors are not affected.
What if a service the app uses is not connected yet?
Section titled “What if a service the app uses is not connected yet?”If your app uses a service whose keys you have not added yet — say, Stripe for payments — the Publish button shows a small amber dot, and the menu shows a note such as Stripe isn’t connected yet: The parts of the app that use it won’t work for anyone until the keys are added. You can still publish and connect later. Click Connect beside the service to add its keys right there. See Connectors.
Other ways to publish
Section titled “Other ways to publish”- On your own Cloudflare account. When you connect your Cloudflare account and choose to host there, the same Publish site button deploys to your account instead. See Run your app on your own Cloudflare account.
- On another host — Vercel, Google Cloud Run, Railway, Azure or AWS. See Publish to other hosts.
- From Slack or your coding agent. See Slack and Coding agents.
Good to know
Section titled “Good to know”- Only the project’s owner can publish. People you share a project with — even editors — cannot. See Share a project.
- If a publish fails because of a short hiccup, MonstarX tries once more by itself and shows Temporary problem. Trying again….
- If your browser loses touch while publishing, the menu says We could not confirm whether publishing finished. Check the status here before trying again. Open the menu again: it reads the real state.
Frequently asked questions
Section titled “Frequently asked questions”How long does publishing take?
Usually a short wait while MonstarX builds the app and puts it online. A progress bar shows each stage, and you can close the menu while it works.
Do I need to buy hosting or a domain?
No. Every published app is hosted by MonstarX at a free address like your-app.monstarx.app, with HTTPS. A domain of your own is optional — see Buy a domain.
Will my changes go live automatically?
No. Changes stay in the preview until you click Republish, so visitors always see a version you chose to publish.
Can I choose the address?
Yes. It starts from your project's name, and you can change it in Settings → Address & domains. See Your app's address.
How do I take the app offline?
Click Published, then Unpublish, and confirm. See Unpublish or delete.