Publish to Netlify

What Netlify is for

Netlify is a managed host: HTTPS and a global CDN, with no server for you to run. Selfish deploys straight to a Netlify site through Netlify’s API.

Selfish deploys into a site that already exists, so make one first.

1. At app.netlify.com, create a site. Dragging any folder onto Netlify’s drop page once is the quickest way. Selfish’s Publishing screen has a Create a Site button that opens it.
2. Note the site’s name.netlify.app domain, or its Site ID from the site’s configuration page.
3. Create a personal access token under User settings → Applications → Personal access tokens. Netlify asks you to choose an expiry date for it. Create a Token in Selfish opens that page.

Then, in Site Settings → Publishing, set Publish Using to Netlify.

What a publish does

Netlify stores files by their content, so a file that hasn’t changed is never uploaded again. A repeat publish of a photo-heavy site is quick. Each publish is a new deploy that replaces the one before it, so anything you removed from your site disappears on its own.

Selfish also writes a _redirects file when posts have old addresses, so those are proper redirects on Netlify. Netlify shows your themed 404.html for bad links without being asked.

Limits worth knowing

• Netlify accepts 3 deploys a minute and 100 a day through its API. If a publish is turned away for that reason, wait a minute and try again.
• The free plan is metered. On Netlify accounts created since September 2025 it works on monthly credits, and each production deploy uses some of them. That matters if you publish many times a day. Netlify’s pricing page has the current terms.
• Resetting your Netlify password ends your existing tokens. Make a new one afterwards.

Your own domain

Add the domain to the site in Netlify, then add the DNS records it needs. With your own domain as the site’s address, Selfish’s Publishing screen shows those records and checks them. See Custom domains.

Problems? See Troubleshooting.