Why does deploying a website still require 3 different platforms?
I've always found something strange about modern web development.
You can build an entire application in one place.
But the moment you're ready to share it with the world, you're suddenly juggling multiple services:
- Your code lives in one place
- Your hosting lives somewhere else
- Your domain is managed somewhere else
- SSL certificates are handled by another system
- Deployment pipelines need their own configuration
For experienced developers, this is normal.
For beginners, it's often the most frustrating part of the entire process.
Over the last year, while building Cloudpen, I kept asking myself a simple question:
What if deployment was just part of the development experience instead of a completely separate workflow?
So that's what I built.
The deployment flow
When you finish a project in Cloudpen, you click Deploy.
That's it.
A live cloudpen.dev URL is generated within seconds.
SSL is automatically provisioned.
No deployment scripts.
No server setup.
No terminal commands.
No separate hosting account.
Custom domains
Custom domains follow the same philosophy.
Add a CNAME record in your DNS provider.
Click Verify inside Cloudpen.
Cloudpen handles SSL provisioning and configuration automatically.
The goal is to remove the common friction points that usually appear after a project is already finished.
GitHub integration
For developers who prefer Git-based workflows, Cloudpen supports GitHub repository integration.
Once connected, pushes to GitHub can automatically trigger redeployments.
Your live application stays synchronized with your repository without requiring additional deployment pipelines or manual publishing steps.
React and Vue projects
Another area that creates unnecessary friction is the build process.
Many developers end up switching between local environments, CI pipelines, and hosting dashboards just to get a production build online.
Cloudpen automatically detects React and Vue projects and runs the build process during deployment.
No local build step required.
No extra deployment configuration.
Why I built it this way
I don't think hosting platforms are the problem.
The problem is that deployment has gradually become a separate discipline.
For many projects, especially personal projects, prototypes, portfolios, internal tools, and MVPs, developers shouldn't need to think about infrastructure before they can share their work.
The ideal workflow should feel like this:
Build → Deploy → Share
Nothing more.
That's the direction I'm pushing Cloudpen toward.
I'm curious:
What part of deployment do you find most frustrating today?
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