How to Deploy Your Codex CLI-Built App

Codex CLI typically generates projects using Python, TypeScript, React, and Node.js depending on the task. Codex CLI operates in your local environment and generates code in whatever language the project uses, with no imposed framework or tooling. Understanding the stack is important because it determines your deployment options and the specific configuration you'll need.

Codex generates raw code files, not full projects, so deployment depends entirely on what you're building. Python scripts go to Lambda, Cloud Run, or a VPS. Node.js APIs go to Railway, Render, or Fly.io. React apps go to Vercel or Netlify

Codex doesn't scaffold deployment configuration, so you'll add it manually. Create a Dockerfile or deployment config for your target platform. Add environment variable handling if Codex hardcoded any credentials. Run the generated code locally and verify it works end-to-end. Push to a git repository, set up CI, then deploy to your chosen platform

One of the most common deployment failures is missing or misconfigured environment variables. Codex CLI apps often hardcode values during development that need to be externalized for production. Audit every file for hardcoded URLs, API keys, and configuration values. Create a .env.example file listing every required variable. Set these in your hosting platform's dashboard before deploying.

After deploying, verify: HTTPS is enforced on all routes, custom domain is configured and resolving, environment variables are correctly loaded, all features work in production (not just locally), error tracking is capturing exceptions, and performance is acceptable under real conditions.

The most frequent issues we see in Codex CLI deployments: forgetting to set environment variables (causing startup crashes), not testing the production build locally before deploying, missing build dependencies, and using development configurations in production.