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Create a new site by importing an existing project from a Git repository, using a template, through drag and drop, or with our CLI or API.

There are many ways to create a new site or app on Netlify, including through the Netlify UI, API, CLI, or through an AI site or app builder.

This video shows you how to deploy using:

  • Netlify Drop: Drag and drop your site or app’s files and deploy
  • Deploy from a repo: Seamless deployments straight from your repo
  • Git integration: Deploy from
  • AI site or app builder: Transform an idea into a live app or site with a tool like Bolt.new.

Here are three ways to deploy a site in the Netlify UI.

  • Import an existing project from a Git repository
  • Select a prebuilt site from Netlify Templates
  • Deploy local project files manually using Netlify’s deploy dropzone

You can import an existing project from a Git repository and deploy it on Netlify. When you import your existing project repository to Netlify, our continuous deployment will automatically update your site each time you push changes.

To import an existing project:

  1. Go to your team’s Sites page, open the Add new site menu, and select Import an existing project.

  2. Select the Git provider where your project is hosted.

  3. Select your project’s existing repository.

  4. Adjust site and build settings if necessary.

    If your site uses a framework that Netlify is able to identify, Netlify will automatically populate the Build command and Publish directory with suggested values. If these starting values are incorrect, you can update them. Visit the Frameworks page for more information on commonly used build settings for frameworks.

    Similarly, if Netlify detects that your site is a monorepo, you can select from one of the automatically detected sites and Netlify will automatically configure the Build command and Publish directory based on that selection. Learn more about configuring monorepos.

  5. Select Deploy site.

With Netlify Templates, you can choose from a number of prebuilt starter projects that use popular libraries and tools from the Jamstack ecosystem.

You can choose a site template that already has visual editing configured so that you can start collaborating on a site with Content Editors and Publishers quickly. Learn more about these visual editing site templates.

To get your project up and running faster, you can choose a site template with built-in extensions that extend the capabilities of your site and simplify the configuration of third-party services.

Once your site is deployed, it will be automatically updated with each commit through Netlify’s continuous deployment.

To create a new site from a template:

  1. Go to your team’s Sites page, open the Add new site menu, and select Start from a template.

  2. Select a template to use for your project. To help you choose which template to use, you can access a live demo or explore the source code to learn more.

  3. Choose a Git provider to create a new repository for the chosen template.

  4. If necessary, edit your site and repository settings. Netlify applies some default settings, but if the values are incorrect, you can update them.

  5. Select Deploy site.

If you have an existing project on your local machine that isn’t linked to a Git repository, you can manually deploy your site by using Netlify’s deploy dropzone.

Go to your team’s Sites page, open the Add new site menu, and select Deploy manually. Drag and drop your site’s output folder to the deploy dropzone to deploy your site.

Although we recommend using Add new site to create your Netlify project, there are other ways to add a new site.

With Netlify CLI, you can:

  • Use netlify init to create a new site on Netlify connected to an existing Git repository.
  • Create a site from a template.
  • Use netlify deploy to manually deploy a project without continuous deployment.

With drag and drop, you can:

  • Deploy your project using the dropzone on your team’s Sites page
  • Create a project with a temporary address using the dropzone on Netlify Drop.