Web development and hosting platform

Netlify

Netlify is a web development platform for building, deploying, previewing, and running modern websites and web apps with Git workflows, serverless functions, edge delivery, and team collaboration tools.

Core service

Build, deploy, host, preview, and manage modern sites and web apps on a global platform.

Known for

Git-connected deploys, deploy previews, atomic deploys, serverless functions, edge functions, and CDN delivery.

Use case

Teams use Netlify to ship frontend sites, web apps, documentation, marketing pages, and Jamstack-style projects.

Netlify is a web development platform for deploy previews, production hosting, serverless functions, edge delivery, and team workflows.View image on original site

What Netlify is

Netlify is a web development platform for building, deploying, hosting, and managing websites and web apps. It connects code repositories, build pipelines, preview environments, global delivery, serverless functions, edge logic, forms, identity options, and collaboration tools into one workflow.

Git-based deploy workflow

A common Netlify workflow starts with a Git repository. When developers push changes or open a pull request, Netlify can build the project, publish a deploy, and create preview URLs for review. This lets teams test and share work before it becomes the production version of the site.

Deploy previews and rollbacks

Deploy previews are temporary versions of a site tied to proposed changes. They help designers, developers, clients, and reviewers inspect real pages before merging. Netlify's deploy model also makes it possible to publish a new version atomically and roll back to an earlier deploy when something goes wrong.

Functions and edge logic

Netlify is not limited to static files. Netlify Functions and Edge Functions let teams add backend behavior such as API routes, form handlers, scheduled work, authentication checks, redirects, personalization, or request-time logic without managing a traditional application server.

Platform features

The platform includes hosting, CDN delivery, build settings, environment variables, branch deploys, redirects, headers, DNS options, forms, analytics, team roles, integrations, and observability features. The exact toolset depends on the project, plan, framework, and account configuration.

Why it matters

Netlify matters because it helped popularize a workflow where frontend teams can ship production websites through Git, previews, and managed edge infrastructure. That lowers operational overhead for many projects and makes collaboration faster, especially when non-developers can review a real preview URL instead of static mockups or local builds.

Limits and cautions

Netlify is powerful, but it is not the right shape for every backend. Apps with long-running processes, specialized databases, persistent servers, unusual networking needs, or heavy server workloads may require another architecture. Teams should also watch build minutes, bandwidth, function limits, environment variables, and pricing as projects grow.

WHOIS domain data

Data pulled: May 19, 2026View current WHOIS record

Domain: netlify.com
IP address: 15.197.167.90
Registrar: Name.com, Inc.
WHOIS server: whois.name.com
Referral URL: http://www.name.com
Created: June 9, 2014
Updated: May 10, 2026
Expires: June 9, 2027
Nameservers: dns1.p04.nsone.net (198.51.44.4); dns2.p04.nsone.net (198.51.45.4); dns3.p04.nsone.net (198.51.44.68); dns4.p04.nsone.net (198.51.45.68); ns01.netlifydns.com (45.54.30.1); ns02.netlifydns.com (45.54.30.65); ns03.netlifydns.com (45.54.30.129); ns04.netlifydns.com (45.54.30.193)
Domain status: clientTransferProhibited; renewPeriod
Contact privacy: Registrant, admin, and technical contacts are redacted for privacy; organization is listed as Netlify.

Key concepts

Deploy previewa temporary URL for reviewing a proposed site change.
Atomic deploya publish model where a complete new deploy replaces the previous version together.
Serverless functionrequest-based backend code managed by the platform instead of a persistent server.
Edge functionlogic that can run closer to users on edge infrastructure.

Website features

Git-connected builds, deploy previews, branch deploys, production deploys, and rollbacks.
CDN hosting, redirects, custom headers, DNS tools, forms, functions, and edge functions.
Team roles, integrations, environment variables, logs, analytics, and collaboration tools.

Common misconceptions

Netlify is not only for static HTML; it can run serverless and edge logic too.
Deploy previews are not static pictures; they are working versions of a site at a temporary URL.
A Netlify project still needs careful configuration for secrets, forms, redirects, build commands, and production data.

Open questions

How much backend logic should move into serverless and edge functions before another architecture is clearer?
How should teams compare Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare, and traditional cloud hosting for long-lived projects?
How can deploy-preview workflows include designers, editors, and stakeholders without slowing engineering work?