Firebase App Hosting Basics

---
name: firebase-app-hosting-basics
description: >-
  Deploys and manages full-stack web applications (Next.js, Angular) with Server-Side Rendering (SSR) using Firebase App Hosting. Use when deploying Next.js/Angular apps, configuring apphosting.yaml or firebase.json apphosting blocks, managing secrets, setting up GitHub CI/CD, or configuring Blaze billing requirements. Don't use for classic static web hosting, Auth, Firestore, Crashlytics, or Xcode.
metadata:
  category: Serverless
---

# App Hosting Basics

## Description

This skill enables the agent to deploy and manage modern, full-stack web
applications (Next.js, Angular, etc.) using Firebase App Hosting.

**Important**: In order to use App Hosting, your Firebase project must be on the
Blaze pricing plan. Direct the user to
https://console.firebase.google.com/project/_/overview?purchaseBillingPlan=metered
to upgrade their plan.

## Hosting vs App Hosting

**Choose Firebase Hosting if:**

- You are deploying a static site (HTML/CSS/JS).
- You are deploying a simple SPA (React, Vue, etc. without SSR).
- You want full control over the build and deploy process via CLI.

**Choose Firebase App Hosting if:**

- You are using a supported full-stack framework like Next.js or Angular.
- You need Server-Side Rendering (SSR) or ISR.
- You want an automated "git push to deploy" workflow with zero configuration.

## Deploying to App Hosting

### Deploy from Source

This is the recommended flow for most users.

1. Configure `firebase.json` with an `apphosting` block.
   
   ```json
   {
     "apphosting": {
       "backendId": "my-app-id",
       "rootDir": "/",
       "ignore": [
         "node_modules",
         ".git",
         "firebase-debug.log",
         "firebase-debug.*.log",
         "functions"
       ]
     }
   }
   ```
1. Create or edit `apphosting.yaml`- see
   [Configuration](references/configuration.md) for more information on how to
   do so.
1. If the app needs safe access to sensitive keys, use
   `npx -y firebase-tools@latest apphosting:secrets` commands to set and grant
   access to secrets.
1. Run `npx -y firebase-tools@latest deploy` when you are ready to deploy.

### Automated deployment via GitHub (CI/CD)

Alternatively, set up a backend connected to a GitHub repository for automated
deployments "git push" deployments. This is only recommended for more advanced
users, and is not required to use App Hosting. See
[CLI Commands](references/cli_commands.md) for more information on how to set
this up using CLI commands.

## Emulation

See [Emulation](references/emulation.md) for more information on how to test
your app locally using the Firebase Local Emulator Suite.