Ship with confidence

Separate local preview, repository integration, theme release, and hosted deployment, then verify each state with the right evidence.

6 Ship with confidence

Separate local preview, repository integration, theme release, and hosted deployment, then verify each state with the right evidence.

Publishing is a sequence of independently verifiable states. A successful local preview proves that the content and theme can render together; it does not prove that a remote module tag exists or that the public site has deployed that revision.

Name every delivery state

State	Evidence	What it does not prove
Local preview	The site renders against the intended checkout	A public theme release exists
Site integration	Content, configuration, and dependency changes are reviewed together	The hosting platform has deployed them
Theme release	The public tag and module checksum resolve without a local replacement	A consumer site has upgraded
Hosted deployment	The public revision and representative routes are reachable	Every language and viewport is correct

Table 6-1 Each delivery state needs its own evidence and handoff.

Validate the smallest useful surface

From your Starter repository, run the ordinary production build before using the deployment workflow you selected:

hugo --cleanDestinationDir --gc --minify --environment production \
  --printPathWarnings --panicOnWarning

Check that hugo mod graph resolves the intended release in go.mod, then follow the Starter deployment steps. A normal Starter site needs no npm build script or sibling theme checkout. If you are also changing OINK itself, follow the separate theme-development workflow. Record the build, workflow result, and public URL checks separately.

Review the rendered result

Automated checks catch broken links, duplicate IDs, invalid shortcodes, and accessibility regressions. They do not decide whether a Hero crops well or whether a dense table remains readable on a phone. Review representative English and Chinese routes at desktop and narrow widths, including navigation, theme controls, code blocks, and the whole-book output.

Hand off facts, not implications

A useful handoff lists changed files, commands and results, known limitations, and the next state still waiting to happen. Use Table 6-1 to say exactly which state has been reached instead of compressing validation, release, and deployment into the word “done.”

The full operational references are Preview the site, Deploy the site, and Troubleshoot a build.