How to deploy Hugo to Netlify

In short

The settings

Build command

hugo build --gc --minify

Publish directory

public

Variable HUGO_VERSION

0.168.0

Without it you get an older Hugo than the one on your computer.

Step by step

Set it up

1. 1

   Put the project in a Git repository

   Push it to GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket. Netlify builds from the repository, so the build folder (public) doesn't need to be committed.

2. 2

   Import it in Netlify

   Start a new project from the repository and give Netlify access to it when it asks.

   Projects→Add new project→Import an existing project

3. 3

   Check the build settings

   Fill in the build settings like this:

   Build command

   hugo build --gc --minify

   Publish directory

   public

   Variable HUGO_VERSION

   0.168.0

   Without it you get an older Hugo than the one on your computer.

   Add the variable under Project configuration → Environment variables, or in the Environment variables section while importing.

   Or commit this netlify.toml to the repository instead of filling in the form; it does the same.

   [build]
     command = "hugo build --gc --minify"
     publish = "public"
   
   [build.environment]
     HUGO_VERSION = "0.168.0"

4. 4

   Deploy

   Start the deploy. When the build finishes, the site is at https://YOUR-SITE.netlify.app. Each push to the main branch deploys again, and other branches and pull requests get preview links.

   To change the settings later: Project configuration → Developer settings → Continuous deployment → Build settings.

Good to know

Common snags

• If your theme is a git submodule, it's fetched with the repository: each host here checks out submodules when it builds.
• Don't commit the public folder: each host builds it fresh.
• Node.js version: Set a NODE_VERSION environment variable, or add an .nvmrc file to the repository.

Questions

Before you start

Next step: connect your own domain to Netlify.