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Site Sync

Guide → Deploy the Roe app

How to publish a Static Site

Roe publishes static sites through Site Sync. You have three ways to get your files onto a host:

  1. Download a ZIP of your site and upload it to your host yourself.
  2. SFTP — SSH File Transfer Protocol.
  3. FTPS — File Transfer Protocol Secure.

Most hosts offer at least one of these. Check your host’s documentation to see which they support.

SFTP is the recommended option. Set it up once, and Roe pushes only your changed files each time you publish.

Download a ZIP of your site

You can download a ZIP of your entire site/ folder at any time — as a backup, or to upload to a host by hand.

  1. Go to Site Sync → Static Site Sync.
  2. Choose the ZIP download option.
  3. Click DOWNLOAD ZIP.
  1. Go to Site Sync → Static Site Sync.
  2. Choose SFTP.
  3. Host — the SFTP host from your hosting provider.
  4. Port — 22.
  5. Username — your hosting account username (for example, your cPanel account), not an FTP account.
  6. SSH private key — paste your private key, including its BEGIN and END lines.
  7. Key passphrase — if you set a passphrase when you created the key, enter it here. Otherwise leave it blank.
  8. Remote path — the folder on your host to publish into. This is commonly public_html, but it varies by host.
  9. Click Save.

Roe stores your key and passphrase encrypted and never shows them again. Use the UPDATE button to change the key or passphrase.

Set up FTPS

FTPS is the most widely supported protocol, so reach for it when your host doesn’t offer SFTP.

  1. Go to Site Sync → Static Site Sync.
  2. Choose FTPS.
  3. Host — the FTP host from your hosting provider.
  4. Port — 21.
  5. Username — your FTP account username, often in the form user@domain.
  6. Password — your FTP account password. Roe stores it encrypted.
  7. Remote path — the folder on your host to publish into, commonly public_html.
  8. Click Save.

Roe verifies the host’s TLS certificate automatically. Some shared and cPanel hosts present a self-signed or mismatched certificate, which verification rejects. When that happens, Test Connection shows a prompt to connect without verification. The connection stays encrypted either way — skipping verification only means Roe doesn’t confirm the host’s identity.

Publish your site

Once SFTP or FTPS is connected, publishing takes three steps.

  1. Rebuild the static site. Open Static Site Actions (linked from the Static Site Sync panel) and click Rebuild (Clean + Generate) so the output reflects your latest content.
  2. Test the connection. Click TEST CONNECTION to confirm Roe can reach your host with the credentials you saved.
  3. Push. Click PUSH NOW. The first push uploads every file; after that, Roe uploads only the files that changed since your last push. A progress panel shows each file as it transfers.

If your host and Roe’s record of it ever drift apart, click FULL RE-SYNC. It re-uploads every file and removes any file Roe previously pushed that no longer exists locally. Use it to recover, not for everyday publishing.

ZIP download has no push step — you upload the downloaded file to your host yourself.

cPanel

cPanel allows you to create SSH Keys. We recommend creating the key in cPanel and then adding it to Roe:

Create your SSH Key in cPanel

  1. Sign into your cPanel
  2. Find to SSH Access tool in the Security section and click it
  3. Click “Manage SSH Keys”
  4. Click “+ Generate a New Key”
  5. Fill in these options: - Key Name: id_rsa_roe - Password: add your own passphrase or password and save it in a safe place - Key Type: RSA - Key size: 2048
  6. Click “Generate Key”
  7. It will confirm the Key’s creation, click “← Go Back”

You will see your new key as a Public Key and a Private Key

Add your SSH Key from cPanel to Roe

In cPanel:

  1. Click “🔧 Manage” for the Public Key: id_rsa_roe
  2. Click “Authorize” and click “← Go Back”
  3. Click “View/Download” for the Private Key: id_rsa_roe
  4. Copy everything in the “Private SSH Key “id_rsa_roe” Open Key” box.

In Roe:

Follow the steps outlined above for SFTP.

Many hosts install cPanel to manage your site. These pages will help: