Section: Self-hosting
Order: 300

# Build & deploy

Orbit builds to a **static** `dist/` you can serve from any web server.

```sh
npm run build      # → dist/ (index.html + hashed assets + config.json + sw.js)
```

## Serving

Serve `dist/` under a path — conventionally `/app/`. The build's `vite.config.ts` sets
`base: '/app/'`. Example nginx:

```nginx
location /app/assets/ { root /var/www/site; expires 7d; add_header Cache-Control "immutable"; }
location = /app/index.html { root /var/www/site; add_header Cache-Control "no-cache"; }
location /app/ { root /var/www/site; try_files $uri $uri/ /app/index.html; }
```

- **Hashed assets** are immutable → cache forever.
- **`index.html`** is `no-cache` so new builds load immediately.
- **`config.json`** is served *network-first* by the service worker, so edits apply without a rebuild.

## Origin allow-list

The IRC WebSocket server must allow the **Origin** Orbit is served from (e.g. InspIRCd
`<wsorigin allow="https://chat.example.org">`). Otherwise the socket is rejected on connect.

## Service worker

On each deploy, bump the cache version in `public/sw.js` (`const CACHE = 'app-vN'`). The worker
calls `skipWaiting()` + `clients.claim()` and fires `controllerchange`, so existing PWA installs
auto-reload to the new build.

For an automated pipeline, see [Push-to-deploy](/docs/push-to-deploy/).