Howto: Deploy an AI Website from GitHub to cPanel

How to Deploy an AI Website from GitHub to cPanel Meridian

If you have created a website or web application using an AI development tool such as ChatGPT Codex, Claude Code, Bolt, Lovable, v0, Cursor or another development platform, you can store your project on GitHub and deploy it directly to your Hoopla Hosting cPanel account.

cPanel Meridian's AI App Hosting allows supported Node.js applications to be cloned directly from GitHub, built automatically and published on your domain.

This provides a convenient way to continue developing your website using your preferred AI development tool while hosting the finished application on your Hoopla Hosting account.

Before you start

You will need:

• A Hoopla Hosting account with cPanel Meridian. ( Click on Try new Meridian Theme at the top of your cPanel ) 

• AI App Hosting enabled on your hosting account.

• Your website or application stored in a GitHub repository.

• A domain or subdomain you want to use for the application.

• A valid Node.js application with its required files committed to GitHub.

Your project will normally contain a package.json file that defines its dependencies and build commands.

This method is suitable for many applications generated using modern AI development tools, including projects using frameworks such as React, Vite and other Node.js-based frameworks.

Step 1 — Upload your project to GitHub

Your website must first be stored in a GitHub repository.

If your AI development tool already has GitHub integration, connect the project to GitHub and push your latest version.

Otherwise, create a repository on GitHub and upload or push your project files into it.

Make sure important project files such as the following have been committed:

package.json
package-lock.json
src/
public/

The exact files will vary depending on the framework used by your application.

Do not upload passwords, API keys or other sensitive credentials to your GitHub repository.

These should instead be configured as environment variables within cPanel.

Step 2 — Copy your GitHub repository URL

Open your repository on GitHub and click:

Code

For a public repository, copy the HTTPS repository address.

It will look similar to:

https://github.com/username/my-ai-website.git

For a private repository, you should use the SSH repository address instead:

git@github.com:username/my-ai-website.git

Private repositories require an SSH deploy key, which we cover later in this article.

Step 3 — Open Websites in cPanel Meridian

Log in to your Hoopla Hosting cPanel account using the Meridian interface.

Open:

Websites

Click:

Add Website

You can now either:

• Select an existing domain; or

• Add another domain for your application.

Select the domain you want to use and click:

Continue

If you deploy an application onto an existing domain, the domain will begin serving the application instead of the existing website files. Existing files are not automatically deleted.

Step 4 — Select AI App Hosting

Select:

AI App Hosting

Click:

Continue

Then click:

Launch My Website

Meridian will ask where your application's source code is located.

Select:

Git repository

Step 5 — Enter your GitHub repository

Paste the GitHub repository URL you copied earlier into the:

Repository URL

field.

For a public repository, this will normally use HTTPS:

https://github.com/username/my-ai-website.git

Click:

Continue

For most public GitHub projects, no additional authentication is required.

Deploying from a private GitHub repository

Private repositories require cPanel to authenticate with GitHub using an SSH key.

Use the SSH repository URL:

git@github.com:username/my-ai-website.git

After entering an SSH repository URL, Meridian will ask you to select an SSH key.

If you do not already have one, use the SSH key management option within cPanel to generate a new key.

You then need to add the public key to your GitHub repository.

In GitHub, open your repository and go to:

Settings → Deploy keys → Add deploy key

Give the key a descriptive name such as:

Hoopla Hosting cPanel Deployment

Paste the public SSH key generated by cPanel.

For normal website deployment, GitHub only needs to allow cPanel to read the repository. You generally do not need to enable Allow write access.

Once the deploy key has been added, return to Meridian and continue the deployment.

Step 6 — Configure the application

Meridian will now analyse your project.

Confirm the:

Website Name

You can also expand the Advanced section to review or configure settings such as:

• Node.js version

• Package manager

• Build output directory

• Environment variables

For many projects, Meridian can automatically detect the required settings.

Node.js version

If your application requires a particular Node.js version, select the appropriate version.

The required Node.js version may be specified by your project's framework or inside its package.json.

Package manager

Meridian will normally detect the package manager used by your project.

Examples include:

npm
yarn
pnpm

Build output directory

Modern AI-generated applications are commonly built using frameworks such as Vite or React.

For example, a Vite application commonly produces its finished website inside:

dist

Other frameworks may use a different output directory.

Meridian attempts to detect this automatically.

If deployment reports that the build succeeded but the output directory could not be found, check your application's build configuration and enter the correct directory manually.

Step 7 — Add environment variables

If your application uses API keys, database connection details or other configuration values, add them under the application's Environment Variables section.

For example:

API_URL=https://api.example.com

or:

OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key

Do not store sensitive credentials directly inside your GitHub repository.

Environment variables can also be managed after deployment from:

Websites → Manage → App Env

cPanel reserves the PORT environment variable for the application and it should not be manually configured.

Step 8 — Deploy the website

Once you have checked the application settings, click:

Deploy

Meridian will automatically:

1. Clone your GitHub repository.

2. Install the application's dependencies.

3. Run the required build process.

4. Configure the application.

5. Start the application.

6. Publish it through your selected domain.

Once deployment has completed, open your domain in a browser and confirm the website is working correctly.

Updating your website

One of the advantages of deploying from GitHub is that you can continue developing your website using your preferred AI development tool.

For example, you might make changes using:

• ChatGPT Codex

• Claude Code

• Cursor

• Bolt

• Lovable

• v0

• VS Code

Once you have finished making changes, push the updated code to the same GitHub repository.

Then log in to cPanel Meridian and open:

Websites → Manage

Click:

Redeploy

Meridian will retrieve the latest version of your GitHub repository, rebuild the project and restart the application.

This allows you to use GitHub as the connection between your AI development environment and your Hoopla Hosting account.

Viewing deployment logs

If your application does not deploy successfully, open:

Websites → Manage → App Logs

The deployment logs can help identify problems such as:

• Failed dependency installation

• npm errors

• Incorrect Node.js versions

• Build errors

• Missing output directories

• Missing environment variables

• GitHub authentication errors

• Application startup errors

You can refresh the logs within Meridian or download them for further troubleshooting.

Starting, stopping or restarting an application

Applications can also be managed from the Websites section in Meridian.

Open:

Websites → Manage

Depending on the application type, you can use:

• Start

• Stop

• Restart

• Redeploy

Use Restart when you want to restart the currently deployed application.

Use Redeploy when you have pushed updated code to GitHub and want cPanel to rebuild the application.

Troubleshooting private GitHub repositories

If Meridian cannot clone a private repository, check:

• The repository URL is using SSH rather than HTTPS.

• The correct SSH key has been selected in Meridian.

• The public SSH key has been added to the GitHub repository's Deploy keys.

• The deploy key has not been removed from GitHub.

• The SSH key passphrase is correct, if one was configured.

• The cPanel SSH key has access to the correct repository.

GitHub deploy keys are normally associated with a single repository.

Build completed but the website does not deploy

If the application's build process succeeds but Meridian cannot find anything to serve, you may need to configure the application's Build Output Directory.

For example, many Vite projects use:

dist

Check your project's package.json and framework configuration to determine where the completed build is created.

You can then enter the correct directory in the application's configuration and redeploy.

GitHub or MCP — which should I use?

cPanel Meridian supports several ways of deploying modern applications.

GitHub deployment is ideal if you want to keep your website source code in a repository and manually control when new versions are deployed.

WebPros MCP deployment allows compatible AI development agents such as ChatGPT Codex or Claude Code to connect directly to cPanel and perform deployments on your behalf.

Both methods allow you to develop your application using modern AI development tools while hosting the finished application on your Hoopla Hosting account.

Need help?

If AI App Hosting is not available within your Hoopla Hosting cPanel account, or you are having trouble deploying your GitHub project, please contact Hoopla Hosting support.

We can assist with checking your hosting configuration and cPanel Meridian deployment environment.