# Hosting concepts | answer.cloud Docs

> Canonical source: [Hosting concepts | answer.cloud Docs](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/hosting/overview/)

Understand Answer Cloud hosting: editable source, complete static artifacts, deployment processing, generated AI resources, and independent release destinations.

overview

# Hosting concepts

Understand Answer Cloud hosting: editable source, complete static artifacts, deployment processing, generated AI resources, and independent release destinations.

Reviewed November 1, 2026

Answer Cloud serves compiled static websites. Your editable project remains the source of truth; a deployment contains the HTML, styles, scripts, images, fonts, and other public files produced by its build.

## Source, artifact, and deployment

| Term           | Meaning                                                                                  |
|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Source project | Astro pages, components, layouts, styles, assets, dependencies, and build instructions   |
| Build output   | The static files produced by a successful local build, usually in `dist/`                |
| Artifact       | The packaged output uploaded to Answer Cloud, with `index.html` at its root              |
| Deployment     | A versioned processing run that extracts, ingests, generates resources, and publishes an artifact |
| Site           | The persistent website identity, public addresses, configuration, and deployment history |

The site slug stays the same across updates. A new deployment gets its own ID and site-specific sequence. Reuse the existing site rather than create a new one for each revision.

## What deployment adds

The platform processes published HTML into its answer-engine layer, including discovery resources, page text mirrors, structured metadata, analytics, and the generated chat installation. Keep that generated layer out of hand-written website source so it can be refreshed consistently.

For CMS-enabled websites, the artifact can also include the CMS manifest and private collection templates. Those templates are deployment inputs, while rendered articles are public content. Read [CMS foundations](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/cms/overview/) before changing that contract.

## How publication works

A typical upload starts in `uploading`. After the binary ZIP is uploaded and finalized, processing extracts the files, ingests pages, and publishes the selected destination. Poll the returned deployment ID until it is `live` or `failed` and inspect warnings and errors.

A live status establishes that the pipeline completed. It does not prove that every link, image, visitor flow, or chat answer is correct. Open the actual public URLs and run the [launch checks](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/getting-started/launch-checklist/).

## Choose a release destination

Without an independent release workflow, production uses the site's normal live behavior. With the workflow active, the Answer Cloud address is the staging destination and the active custom domain serves production. A staging-only deployment leaves production on its current version.

Promotion publishes an already processed deployment to production without rebuilding. A combined `both` deployment publishes one artifact to both destinations. Companion CMS sites use production publishing rather than this hosted staging workflow.

## Hosting boundaries

Uploaded JavaScript runs in the visitor's browser; uploading a server script does not create a backend runtime. Keep databases, secret-bearing endpoints, and persistent server processes in an appropriate external service. See [static site requirements](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/hosting/static-sites/) and [deployment procedures](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/hosting/deploy/) before your next release.