Bolt preview works, the Netlify site does not

What it means in plain English

The preview is Bolt's own environment. Publishing to Netlify is a different host. Bolt's Netlify guide says Netlify can host sites that run entirely in the browser, such as a landing page or a small app, and that Netlify can't host a database or a traditional backend. Those are the parts that save accounts or orders. If the project needs either, Bolt says to stay on Bolt hosting. Bolt hosting supports a backend, and Bolt Cloud provides built-in databases.

A blank Netlify URL is not, by itself, a missing env-var error. This page does not claim that Netlify dropped your variables. The documented split is what that host can run.

Likely causes

• The project uses Bolt Cloud or another database, and the published target is Netlify.
• The Netlify account was never connected, so Publish still targets Bolt hosting or never finishes the Netlify deploy.
• Publish to Netlify failed, and the preview kept working because it never left Bolt.
• A custom domain was attached to Bolt hosting and was not added again in Netlify. Bolt says custom domains do not carry over when you switch hosts.

How to fix it, step by step

1. If the app saves data, keep the hosting provider on Bolt. Bolt says that is the host for a database or a backend.
2. To publish a browser-only project to Netlify, connect the account first: gear icon, All project settings, Applications, then Connect under Netlify, and finish Netlify's login.
3. Open All project settings, then Domains & Hosting. Set Hosting Provider to Netlify. Click Publish, then Publish again in the menu. Bolt says to wait about a minute and open the link in the chat.
4. If that publish fails, build it yourself. Bolt says to run the build command, usually npm run build, click Download, and follow Netlify's manual deploy. Bolt calls this Publish. Netlify calls it Deploy. A refresh that 404s after that deploy is Netlify page not found on refresh.
5. Add the custom domain in Netlify's Domain Management. It does not move with the switch. The Bolt domain steps, if you stay on Bolt hosting, are Bolt custom domain not working.

How to check it worked

• A browser-only project loads on the netlify.app URL from the chat link.
• A project that needs a database is still published with Bolt hosting, and that URL loads the same data the preview used.
• The custom domain, if you use one, is attached to the host that is actually serving the site.

Sources

• https://support.bolt.new/integrations/netlify (opens in a new tab)