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Publish and deploy Builder apps

Use the Publish panel when the app is ready to move from internal iteration toward a real deployment workflow.

What the Publish panel includes​

The Publish panel is built around three operational areas:

  • GitHub for source control and collaboration
  • Vercel for hosted deployment
  • Portal tools for eligible Neon-backed apps

Start with GitHub​

GitHub is the foundation for most production Builder workflows.

From Publish or App Details, you can:

  • connect the app to GitHub
  • confirm the repository mapping
  • add collaborators to the linked repo

If the app matters beyond a quick prototype, connect GitHub early.

Vercel requires GitHub first​

Builder only exposes the full Vercel deployment path after GitHub is connected.

Typical flow:

  1. Connect GitHub.
  2. Open Publish.
  3. Connect Vercel for the active app.
  4. Review the deployment details.
  5. Use the dashboard link when you need Vercel-side inspection.

Use Publish after the app is healthy in preview​

Do not treat Publish as the place to discover basic app issues.

Before deploying, review:

  • Preview for the main user journey
  • Problems for build and runtime issues
  • Security for obvious risk signals
  • Cloud if the app depends on Builder Cloud auth or database features

Collaborators and handoff​

GitHub collaborators are useful when the app needs:

  • code review
  • shared ownership
  • deployment approvals
  • longer-term maintenance outside a single Builder session

Builder helps start the collaboration flow, but your code review and branch governance still happen in GitHub.

Portal tools for eligible apps​

Some Neon-backed apps can show additional Portal migration or hosting tools in the Publish surface.

If you do not see that section, the current app is not in the eligible state for that workflow.

  1. Confirm the app works in Preview.
  2. Fix open issues in Problems.
  3. Connect GitHub.
  4. Enable Builder Cloud if the app needs managed backend infrastructure.
  5. Connect Vercel and validate the deployment environment.
  6. Re-run the critical user path after deploy.