Publishing your Bubble app moves it from the development environment to live. This involves clicking Deploy to Live, understanding what changes get pushed, reviewing your checklist of settings, and verifying the live version works correctly. This tutorial covers the complete deployment process and common pre-launch checks.
Overview: Publishing Your Bubble App
Bubble has two environments: Development (where you build and test) and Live (what your users see). Changes you make in the editor only affect the development version. To make them available to users, you must deploy to live. This tutorial covers the deployment process and everything you should check before and after.
Prerequisites
- A Bubble app on a paid plan (Starter or above)
- All features tested in the development environment
- API keys and integrations configured
Step-by-step guide
Review your pre-deployment checklist
Review your pre-deployment checklist
Before deploying, verify these items. Data: all required Data Types and fields exist. Workflows: test every workflow path in preview mode. Plugins: all API keys entered and working. Privacy Rules: configured for all Data Types. Settings: custom domain configured (if applicable), email settings, SEO meta tags. Performance: test with realistic data volumes. Security: no sensitive data in hidden elements, all inputs validated.
Expected result: All critical items are verified before deployment.
Deploy to live using the Deploy button
Deploy to live using the Deploy button
In the top-right corner of your Bubble editor, click the dropdown arrow next to the blue Deploy button. Select Deploy Development to Live. Bubble shows a summary of changes since the last deployment. Review the changes. Click Deploy. Bubble processes the deployment, which takes a few seconds to a few minutes depending on your app's size.
Pro tip: Bubble shows you what changed since the last deploy. Review this carefully — it helps catch unintended changes.
Expected result: Your development changes are now live and accessible to users.
Verify the live version
Verify the live version
After deployment, open your live app URL (yourdomain.com or yourapp.bubbleapps.io). Test critical flows: login, registration, data creation, payments. Check that all API integrations work in live mode. Verify that emails send correctly. Test on mobile devices. Compare the live version against your development version to ensure parity.
Expected result: The live app works correctly with all features functioning as expected.
Monitor after deployment
Monitor after deployment
Check the Logs tab in your editor for any errors on the live version. Monitor your Workload Units in Settings to ensure the live app is not consuming more WUs than expected. Watch for user-reported issues in the first few hours after deployment. Keep the editor open to quickly fix any issues.
Expected result: The live app is stable with no unexpected errors or performance issues.
Roll back if needed
Roll back if needed
If you discover a critical issue after deployment, you can revert to the previous live version. Go to Settings → General and look for the version history or use the Restore previous version option. Note: this rolls back ALL changes since the last deploy, not just specific ones. For targeted fixes, it is faster to fix the issue in development and redeploy.
Expected result: You can revert to a previous version if a critical issue is discovered.
Complete working example
1DEPLOYMENT CHECKLIST2=====================34PRE-DEPLOYMENT:5 □ All Data Types and fields created6 □ All workflows tested in preview mode7 □ All API keys entered in plugins (live keys, not test)8 □ Privacy Rules configured for all Data Types9 □ Custom domain configured and SSL active10 □ Email settings configured (from address, templates)11 □ SEO meta tags set on all pages12 □ Input validation on all forms13 □ Error handling on all API calls14 □ No sensitive data in hidden elements15 □ Stripe set to live mode (if applicable)16 □ Test data cleaned up1718DEPLOYMENT:19 1. Click Deploy dropdown → Deploy Development to Live20 2. Review change summary21 3. Click Deploy22 4. Wait for processing to complete2324POST-DEPLOYMENT:25 □ Open live URL and verify26 □ Test login/registration flow27 □ Test data creation and display28 □ Test payment flow (live Stripe)29 □ Test email delivery30 □ Test on mobile devices31 □ Check Logs tab for errors32 □ Monitor WU consumption3334ROLLBACK:35 Settings → General → Restore previous version36 WARNING: rolls back ALL changes, not selective37 Better approach: fix issue in dev → redeploy3839ENVIRONMENTS:40 Development: preview mode, test data, test API keys41 Live: production URL, real data, live API keysCommon mistakes when publishing a Bubble app
Why it's a problem: Deploying with test API keys still configured
How to avoid: Before deploying, switch all API keys to their live/production versions in the Plugins tab
Why it's a problem: Not testing critical workflows before deploying
How to avoid: Test every critical workflow in preview mode with realistic data before deploying
Why it's a problem: Deploying and immediately changing things in development
How to avoid: After deploying, focus on monitoring the live version. Only make development changes when you are ready for a new deployment cycle
Best practices
- Use a pre-deployment checklist to verify all critical items before going live
- Switch API keys from test to live mode before deploying
- Test the live version immediately after deployment on multiple devices
- Monitor the Logs tab and WU consumption after deployment
- Keep a backup copy of your app before major deployments
- Deploy during low-traffic hours to minimize impact if issues arise
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Frequently asked questions
Can I deploy specific changes without deploying everything?
No. Bubble deploys all development changes at once. There is no selective deployment. Use version control (Team plan+) for more granular control.
Does deploying affect my live database?
No. The live database is separate from development. Deploying only pushes app structure changes (pages, workflows, plugins) — not database records.
Can I have a staging environment?
Bubble does not offer a built-in staging environment. The development version serves as your staging. For more environments, duplicate your app and use it as staging.
How long does deployment take?
Simple apps deploy in seconds. Complex apps with many pages and plugins can take 1-5 minutes. Very large apps may take longer.
What happens to users who are online during deployment?
Active users may experience a brief reload as the new version takes effect. In-progress workflows may be interrupted. Deploy during low-traffic hours to minimize impact.
Can I schedule deployments?
No. Bubble does not support scheduled deployments. You must manually trigger the deploy. For managed deployment processes, RapidDev can help establish deployment workflows and quality assurance procedures.
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