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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →A blank page after deployment is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Start with the browser’s first runtime error and failed Network requests; then follow the evidence to the likely branch—assets or build output, client-side routing, runtime configuration, or API access. The right fix depends on your framework, hosting setup, and the requests the deployed app actually makes.
Start with the browser evidence
- Open developer tools on the deployed URL. Select the Console tab and note the earliest relevant exception, including the filename, line, and stack trace if shown. Later errors may be consequences of the first one.
- Reload with Network open. Inspect the document, JavaScript bundles or chunks, stylesheets, and API requests. Record failed status codes, requested paths, response content types, and whether each request goes to the expected domain and subdirectory.
- Match the symptom to the evidence. Failed scripts or styles point toward asset serving or path configuration; a 404 only on direct routes points toward routing; loaded bundles with a runtime exception point toward application execution or configuration; failed API calls point toward data access. These are investigation branches, not automatic diagnoses.
If scripts, chunks, or styles fail to load
Compare the URLs requested by the deployed page with the location where the app is hosted and the files in the build output. TanStack Router’s production deployment guide calls out the base path, static assets, and matching build output as checks when deployment fails.
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- Check the base or public path. If the app is hosted under a subdirectory such as
/repo/, a request for/assets/...at the domain root may indicate that the build’s base path or the router’s basename is wrong for that deployment. Verify the requested URL against the actual deployment before changing settings. - Check the published output directory. Confirm that the host publishes the directory produced by your build and serves its static files. A 404 can mean the host is looking in the wrong directory, or that the requested asset was not generated.
- Check deployment-specific settings. A development server can resolve assets differently from a production host. Vue CLI’s deployment documentation likewise identifies
publicPathas a setting to check when deploying under a path.
If a route works through navigation but fails on refresh
In a single-page app using browser-history routing, clicking to /about may work because the client router handles the transition. On a direct visit or refresh, however, the server receives /about and may look for a file at that path. Configure the host to return the app’s entry HTML for valid client-side routes while still serving real static files and API routes correctly. React Router describes this general SPA requirement in its SPA documentation; Vue CLI and Create React App describe the same history-routing issue in their deployment guides (Vue CLI; Create React App).
Use the rewrite or fallback syntax documented for your host and framework rather than copying a generic catch-all. Server-rendered and filesystem-routed applications may rely on framework-native routing instead of a static SPA fallback. Vercel’s routing guidance distinguishes its SPA rewrite setup from framework-specific behavior, and explains that its routing uses build-generated metadata. A successful build or working development server alone does not establish that deployed direct routes are configured correctly.
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If bundles load but the app throws an error
Use the first Console exception and its stack trace to find the module or initialization step that failed. Then check what differs between local development and the deployed production build.
- Production-only setup: Verify production build settings and required feature flags. Vue’s production deployment guide notes the importance of correct feature flags and replacing
process.env.NODE_ENVin custom production setups. - Browser-only APIs: If the framework renders on the server or during a build step, code that accesses
windowduring initial rendering can fail because that browser global is unavailable there. React Router discusses this limitation for initial rendering in SPA mode in its SPA guide. - Build-time environment variables: Check that required values are present in the deployed build’s configuration, then rebuild and redeploy if the framework embeds them at build time. TanStack’s deployment guide documents the
VITE_prefix for values exposed through Vite-based configurations. Treat every client-exposed value as visible to users; do not put secrets in browser code.
If the page shell appears but data is missing
Inspect the relevant API request in Network and verify its destination, response status, and response content. Check that the deployed frontend uses the intended API origin and has the required authentication or configuration. If the frontend and backend are hosted on different origins, the backend must permit the deployed frontend origin through its CORS policy; Vue CLI identifies this as a deployment consideration for separately hosted frontend and backend services (Vue CLI deployment documentation).
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A failed API request explains a blank page only if the app’s rendering depends on that request and does not handle the failure gracefully. The request failure is evidence of an API-side or configuration problem; whether it should blank the entire interface depends on the app’s own error handling.
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Compare the deployment with a production-like local preview
Serve the generated production build over HTTP instead of opening its HTML file directly. Vue CLI says its dist output is intended for an HTTP server and documents serve -s dist as a local SPA preview method; opening dist/index.html through file:// is not a valid preview for the usual setup (Vue CLI deployment documentation).
- The same failure appears locally and in deployment: Investigate the generated build or application code, using the Console and Network evidence to narrow the cause.
- The preview works but deployment fails: Compare the host’s output-directory setting, static-file serving, base or public path, route fallback, and deployed domain or API configuration. The difference between the two environments is the useful clue.
Choose checks that match your hosting model
There is no universal host setting for every JavaScript app. Before changing deployment configuration, establish whether the app is a static SPA, server-rendered, or filesystem-routed, then check the relevant behavior:
- Can the host run or serve the app’s rendering and routing model?
- Is the expected build output served from the correct root or subdirectory?
- How are direct client routes and refreshes handled, and will a fallback leave real asset and API paths intact?
- If the frontend calls a separate API origin, is that origin configured correctly and permitted by the backend’s CORS policy?
Use the documentation for your actual framework and host combination. Vercel’s routing instructions apply to Vercel’s platform; React Router, Vue CLI, and Create React App document their respective framework or build-tool deployment behavior.
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