Hey Dev community!
We've all been there. You've just finished coding a project you're proud of. The UI is slick, the logic is solid, and it's running perfectly on localhost. Now comes the part that can often be a chore: deployment. Setting up servers, configuring build pipelines, managing SSL certificates... it can be a real momentum killer.
For my latest project, Foundry.AI, an AI-powered branding tool built with React, I wanted to find a deployment solution that was as fast and modern as the app itself. I decided to try Tencent Cloud's EdgeOne Pages, and I was genuinely blown away by how incredibly smooth and easy the process was.
Today, I want to walk you through how I took my React application from a GitHub repository to a live, globally-accelerated URL in literally under 5 minutes.
The Project: A Quick Look at Foundry.AI
First, a little context. Foundry.AI is a tool for creators and startups to generate ad copy and brand kits using AI agents from IO.net.
Tech Stack: React.js, Vite, TailwindCSS, Framer Motion
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/ayaanoski/Foundry-AI
It's a standard, modern client-side application—a perfect candidate for a static hosting platform.
The Solution: What is EdgeOne Pages?
EdgeOne Pages is a serverless hosting service designed to deploy web applications directly from a Git repository (like GitHub or GitLab). It handles the entire CI/CD pipeline for you: pulling your code, building it, and deploying it to a powerful global CDN.
The key promises are speed, simplicity, and performance. No servers to manage, no complex configurations. Just connect your repo and go.
Step-by-Step Guide: Deploying Foundry.AI
Here’s the exact process I followed. No steps have been skipped.
Step 1: Log in and Find EdgeOne
First, I logged into my Tencent Cloud account and navigated to the EdgeOne console. From there, I selected "Site Acceleration" and then the "Pages" tab.
Step 2: Create a New Project
This is where the magic begins. I clicked "Create Project" and was presented with the deployment configuration screen.
Step 3: Connect Your GitHub Repository
The first thing to do is connect your source code.
Choose Source: I selected GitHub.
Authorize: A pop-up prompted me to authorize Tencent Cloud to access my repositories. This is a standard OAuth process and only needs to be done once.
Select Repository: After authorization, a list of my repositories appeared. I simply selected ayaanoski/Foundry-AI and chose the main branch.
!(https://i.imgur.com/your-image-placeholder.png) (You can add a screenshot here if you take one)
Step 4: Configure the Build Settings
This is often the part where things can get tricky on other platforms. With EdgeOne Pages, it was shockingly simple. The platform automatically detected that I was using a Vite project and pre-filled most of the settings for me!
Here’s what my configuration looked like:
Framework Preset: Vite (It detected this automatically!)
Build Command: npm run build (This is the standard build command for my Vite project, defined in package.json.)
Output Directory: dist (Vite outputs the static production files to the dist folder by default. EdgeOne knew this.)
Environment Variables: I didn't need any for this project, but there's a simple section to add them if your app requires API keys or other secrets.
That's it. I didn't have to write a single line of YAML or configure a complex build file.
Step 5: Deploy!
I hit the "Save and Deploy" button.
A dashboard immediately appeared showing me the deployment progress in real-time:
Cloning Repository: EdgeOne pulled the latest code from my main branch.
Building: It ran the npm install and npm run build commands in a clean environment.
Deploying: It took the contents of the dist folder and distributed them across its global CDN.
The entire process, from click to "Deployed Successfully," took 1 minute and 22 seconds.
I was immediately given a free .edgeone.app URL: https://foundry-ai.edgeone.app/. My site was live, with a free SSL certificate automatically configured.
Why EdgeOne Pages Was the Perfect Choice
Zero-Friction Deployment: The process was truly effortless. It eliminated all the traditional complexities of web hosting.
Blazing Fast CI/CD: Now, every time I git push a new commit to my main branch, EdgeOne Pages automatically triggers a new build and deployment. My development workflow has become incredibly efficient.
Global Performance Out-of-the-Box: Foundry.AI is for a global audience. With EdgeOne, my app is served from edge nodes close to my users, whether they are in the US, Europe, or Asia. This means low latency and a better user experience without any extra work from me.
It's Free for Small Projects: The generous free tier makes it a no-brainer for personal projects, hackathons, and MVPs.
Conclusion
If you're a developer working with modern frameworks like React, Vue, or Next.js, and you want to spend your time building features instead of managing infrastructure, I can't recommend EdgeOne Pages enough. It has simplified my workflow and delivered a high-performance result with minimal effort.
Give it a try for your next project!
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