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To test a Netlify site before a change goes live, open the change’s Deploy Preview and check the affected pages and user journeys before merging the pull or merge request. Use a branch deploy for ongoing review of a branch, local development for quick checks, and a production-domain check after publishing.
Choose the right Netlify environment
| Environment | Use it for | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy Preview | Reviewing a pull or merge request before it is merged | It is tied to the request. By default, anyone with the link may be able to access it unless protection is configured. |
| Branch deploy | Ongoing review of a branch or an early-release environment | Enable it for selected branches or all new branches in project configuration. Its URL updates as that branch is deployed. |
| Local development | Quick checks while writing and debugging code | Runs on your machine; the local address depends on your framework and development setup. |
| Deploy permalink | Revisiting a particular successful deploy | The permalink identifies that deploy, so its content stays fixed rather than following later changes. |
| Production deploy | Checking the actual live website after publishing | It is served at the primary domain and replaces the previous production version. Production deploys can be rolled back. |
Netlify creates Deploy Previews for pull or merge requests by default unless preview controls have been changed. For the differences between these environments, see Netlify’s preview-options comparison and its deploy overview.
Review a change with a Deploy Preview
- Push the change through your connected repository workflow. Open or update the pull or merge request so Netlify can build its preview, assuming previews have not been disabled or otherwise changed for the project.
- Open the Deploy Preview URL. Visit the pages changed by the request, then test representative paths through the site: navigation, forms, links, and other interactions affected by the change. A successful page load alone does not establish that the whole journey works.
- Check the preview at the relevant viewport sizes and states. Look for layout problems, missing assets, broken routes, and errors in the parts of the site touched by the change. If content or integrations differ by environment, confirm the preview shows what you expect before approving it.
- Share the URL only with the intended audience. A preview link is not private merely because it is a preview or is marked noindex. Configure password protection or team login protection before sharing material that should be restricted.
- Merge only after the preview check is complete. The preview is a review of the proposed change; it is not the live production domain.
When to use a branch deploy or deploy permalink
Branch deploys for ongoing review
Choose a branch deploy when teammates need a continuing environment for a branch rather than a preview attached to one pull or merge request. Branch deploys must be enabled for the branches you want, or for all new branches, in the project configuration. See Netlify’s branch deploy documentation.
Permalinks for a fixed snapshot
Use a deploy permalink when someone needs to revisit the output of one successful deploy later. Unlike a branch URL that follows later deploys, a permalink preserves the content for the deploy it identifies.
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Add automated Lighthouse audits where they fit
Netlify’s Lighthouse build plugin can surface Lighthouse scores and reports in the deploy UI and logs, and can post scores in pull or merge request deploy notifications. Its audits cover areas such as performance, SEO, and accessibility. Follow Netlify’s Lighthouse setup documentation to add it to a site; Netlify recommends configuring the plugin in netlify.toml when you need more customization, including auditing different URL paths.
- The documented integration does not support pages or paths that require login.
- Treat an audit as one signal, not a substitute for manually exercising important pages and user journeys.
- Review the reports for the deploy you are evaluating; an audit result does not by itself prove that every feature works.
Check production after publishing
After the change is published, open the primary domain and verify the live site. Production deploys replace the previous production version, so confirm the pages and domain-specific behavior that matter to the release. Netlify documents production deploys and rollback in its production deploy guide.
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Understand indexing and preview access
Netlify documents an X-Robots-Tag: noindex response header for Deploy Previews, unpublished production deploys, and old branch deploys. Its documentation says the currently published production deploy and most recent branch deploys can be indexed. Check your own headers and configuration when indexing behavior matters.
Indexing and access control are separate. A noindex directive asks crawlers not to index a URL; it does not prevent a person with the URL from opening it. Deploy Preview and branch URLs may be accessible to anyone who has the link unless protection is configured. See Netlify’s deploy overview for its documented defaults.
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Troubleshoot a failed or misleading check
The Deploy Preview is missing
Check whether the project’s preview controls have changed and whether the relevant pull or merge request has generated a deploy. Netlify’s create deploys documentation describes deploy creation and configuration.
The preview builds, but a page or journey fails
Test the affected route directly as well as through the site’s navigation. If the issue depends on authentication, an external integration, or production-only configuration, a preview may not reproduce the live condition; verify the relevant setup rather than treating a successful build as proof of behavior.
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A Lighthouse result is absent
Confirm that the plugin is installed and configured for the build, and remember that the documented integration does not support login-gated pages or paths. For customized paths, consult the plugin guidance for netlify.toml in the Lighthouse documentation.
A deploy fails
Inspect the deploy details and logs, then retry from the latest branch commit. Netlify also documents retrying with a cleared cache. Be aware that a retry builds from the branch HEAD, which may differ from the commit used for the original deploy. See Manage deploys.
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If you need a screenshot of a page during review, ScreenshotNeo can capture it with one GET request. Add your API key and target URL as shown below; the example saves the response as a WebP image. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://your-preview-url.netlify.app -o shot.webpScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners as a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each step can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, with response headers indicating the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server offers screenshot and page-information tools for AI agents and can capture PDFs. The free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Deploy Preview publish my change to the live Netlify domain?
No. It lets you review the proposed change before merging; production is served at the primary domain after a production deploy.
Can anyone open my Netlify preview link?
By default, preview links may be accessible to anyone who has the URL. Configure password or team login protection if access should be limited.
Does noindex make a preview private?
No. The indexing directive does not restrict who can open a URL.
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