Deployment

OINK deployment has two separate stages: Hugo builds a complete public/ directory, then a static host publishes that directory. Keep build verification and hosted verification distinct so a successful local command is not mistaken for a completed production release.

Production build

Run the pinned Hugo Extended version from the site root:

hugo --gc --minify --cleanDestinationDir

--gc removes unused cached resources, --minify produces production assets, and --cleanDestinationDir removes files left by an earlier build. Review the command before using the last option when publishDir points anywhere other than the site’s dedicated output directory.

The build must finish without warnings that hide missing content, endpoints, or resources. Inspect public/ locally before uploading it.

Local preview

For editing:

hugo server --disableFastRender

Hugo’s development server proves that the source can render. It is not a production host and its live-reload behavior is not part of the generated site. Always run a clean production build before release.

Build environments and indexing

The plain hugo command uses the production environment. Oink marks HTML from production builds as indexable and uses optimized, fingerprinted assets. For a public preview that search engines must not index, build with another environment:

hugo --environment preview --baseURL "https://preview.example.com/"

Oink emits noindex, nofollow outside production. A hosting-level X-Robots-Tag header is useful defense in depth, especially for non-HTML files. Rebuild the reviewed source in production before publishing it at the canonical URL; a preview artifact is not a production artifact.

Static hosting

Any host that can serve directories and files can publish OINK:

• object storage and a CDN;
• GitHub Pages, GitLab Pages, or similar Git-driven static hosting;
• Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or another build-and-publish platform;
• an Nginx, Caddy, Apache, or internal file server.

Set baseURL to the canonical production URL. If the site is published below a path such as https://example.com/manual/, include that path and test it; OINK’s local assets and component URLs are designed to preserve subpath deployments.

Cloudflare Pages

Connect Pages directly to the source branch. OINK does not require a GitHub Actions workflow that prebuilds and pushes an orphan Pages branch.

Use these settings for an Oink site:

As of 2026-08-08, Cloudflare Pages’ v3 build image documents Hugo 0.147.7 as its default, below OINK’s minimum 0.160.1. Set HUGO_VERSION explicitly for both Production and Preview rather than relying on the moving platform default. SKIP_DEPENDENCY_INSTALL=1 prevents the platform’s generic dependency installer from adding a frontend installation step that the site does not need.

For previews that need the generated Pages URL as their canonical build URL:

hugo --gc --minify --baseURL "$CF_PAGES_URL"

Cloudflare documents public as Hugo’s standard output directory, the HUGO_VERSION override, and the CF_PAGES_URL base-URL pattern. Recheck the platform documentation when changing the build image or pinned Hugo version.

See the Cloudflare Hugo guide and Cloudflare build image reference.

Air-gap deployment

For a disconnected environment, transfer both the site source and a verified theme archive rather than depending on an initial Hugo Module download:

1. verify the theme archive’s sidecar SHA-256 file;
2. install a supported Hugo Extended binary inside the environment;
3. extract the theme into the site’s themes/oink/ directory;
4. set theme: oink and run hugo --gc --minify in the site;
5. publish public/ to the internal static server.

Keep PlantUML and Diagrams.net disabled unless a reachable internal endpoint is configured. External links and embeds remain the content author’s responsibility.

Headers and caching

Fingerprint-bearing CSS and JavaScript can use long-lived immutable caching. HTML, search indexes, feeds, and sitemaps should use shorter caching or revalidation so a new deployment becomes visible promptly.

Hosts that recognize the _headers convention can use a site-owned static/_headers file. This is not a portable standard; review security headers against the site’s actual inline content and integrations.

Preview and production URLs

Canonical, hreflang, Open Graph, feeds, and absolute links depend on baseURL. A production build should use the production URL; a preview may use its temporary URL when link validation or social metadata needs to be accurate.

Do not publish a preview build to production without rebuilding against the canonical URL. Conversely, do not reject a preview merely because it contains the intentionally supplied preview host.

Deployment acceptance

Verify each layer independently:

Source and configuration

• the expected commit and pinned theme version are present;
• baseURL, languages, menus, repository metadata, and optional endpoints are correct;
• no unpublished draft or secret enters the public content tree.

Build artifact

• a clean production build succeeds with the pinned Hugo Extended version;
• English, Chinese, feeds, sitemaps, search indexes, and 404.html are present;
• local assets resolve under both root and configured subpath;
• the artifact contains required license and attribution surfaces.

Hosted site

• the production URL returns the new artifact;
• canonical and language-alternate URLs use the production origin;
• navigation, search, language switching, dark mode, print, and representative components work in a real browser;
• redirects, custom headers, cache policy, and 404 handling behave as configured;
• an air-gap claim is backed by a browser network audit.

A green build log completes only the artifact stage. Deployment is complete after the hosted checks pass.

Rollback

Keep the previous known-good static artifact or hosting deployment identifier. If a new release fails hosted validation, restore that artifact first, then diagnose source or platform behavior. Rebuilding an old source commit with a new unpinned toolchain is not equivalent to restoring the original artifact.