Blog · Explainer
What is a deployment platform?
A deployment platform is a service that takes your code from a repository, builds it, runs it on managed infrastructure, and serves it at a public HTTPS URL. Vercel, Netlify, Render, Railway, and Runex are deployment platforms.
- It turns a repo into a live URL
- Builds, hosting, HTTPS, and redeploys in one product
- Unlike CI/CD, it also runs your app
- Examples: Vercel, Netlify, Render, Railway, Runex
Definition
What does a deployment platform do?
It replaces the server setup between your code and your users. Most deployment platforms are a form of platform as a service.
Without one, shipping an app means renting a server, installing a runtime and a reverse proxy, setting up TLS, and writing deploy scripts, for every project.
A deployment platform turns that into a product. You connect a repository, and each push becomes a build, a new version, and a live URL.
How it works
How does a deployment platform work?
Connect, build, run, serve. Runex follows the same four steps, shown in the getting started guide.
-
You
Connect a repo
Usually through a GitHub integration.
-
Platform
Build
Install dependencies and compile.
-
Platform
Run
Start the app in an isolated environment.
-
Platform
Serve
Route HTTPS traffic to it.
Compare
Deployment platform vs CI/CD: what's the difference?
CI/CD ships code somewhere; a deployment platform is the somewhere.
| Build + runDeployment platform | Build + testCI/CD tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs your app | Yes | No, deploys to servers you provide |
| Examples | Runex, Render, Vercel | GitHub Actions, CircleCI, Jenkins |
| HTTPS and domains | Included | Not its job |
| Used together? | Often: CI tests, platform deploys | Often |
Types
What kinds of deployment platforms exist?
Three main kinds, by what they run. To see real products side by side, read deployment platforms compared.
- Frontend clouds: static sites and serverless functions (Vercel, Netlify)
- Container platforms: long-running apps, APIs, and databases (Runex, Render, Railway)
- Deploy tools: push code to servers you already run (DeployHQ, Capistrano)
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to related searches.
Is a deployment platform the same as a PaaS?
Mostly. A PaaS is the broader category; deployment platform usually means a PaaS focused on Git-based deploys of web apps.
What are examples of deployment platforms?
Vercel and Netlify for frontends; Runex, Render, and Railway for full applications with databases.
Do I still need GitHub Actions with a deployment platform?
Not for deploying. You might keep GitHub Actions for tests and linting, and let the platform build and run the app on push.
Next step
Put it into practice.
Deploy an app from GitHub on Runex and get a live HTTPS URL. Free to start.