Deploy
Also called deployment.
In plain English
To deploy is to make a version of software available where it can run or be served, such as a preview, a test system, or production.
Example
Your bot deploys its feature branchA branch is a named line of snapshots, so a new idea can grow beside the shared line. to a preview address so you can test the new form. The main public site still serves the earlier version until its own deployment changes.
Why it matters
The files on a laptop, a commitA commit records a project state in Git, plus history information such as the parent commit, the author, and a message., and a merged pull requestA pull request asks people to review proposed code changes and combine them into a target branch. are not the running website. A deploy is the step that puts a built version where people can reach it.
Many hosts deploy automatically. A host might build every branchA branch is a named line of snapshots, so a new idea can grow beside the shared line. to a preview address and deploy the main branchmain is a common name for a repository's default branch. Git does not require that name. to production. A mergeA merge brings another branch’s snapshots onto the branch you are on, usually after a person agrees. can trigger that, but the merge itself is not the deploy, and the host’s settings decide what goes where.
A preview address can still be public. The word preview does not promise privacy.
Common confusion
Deploy is not commitA commit records a project state in Git, plus history information such as the parent commit, the author, and a message., mergeA merge brings another branch’s snapshots onto the branch you are on, usually after a person agrees., or live. A change can be merged and still wait for a deploy. After a deploy, a cached page can still look old until a hard refreshForce the browser to reload files from the server, not from its cache, so you see the newest version of a page..
Sources
Updated October 1, 2026.