FAQ
Common questions from developers new to Varity.
General
Section titled “General”What is Varity?
Section titled “What is Varity?”Varity is an application deployment platform that provides:
- Secure hosting - Your app runs on distributed infrastructure
- Built-in authentication - Email, Google, Twitter login out of the box
- Zero usage fees - Users never pay operational fees
- 70-85% cost savings compared to AWS and traditional cloud
How is Varity different from AWS/Vercel/Netlify?
Section titled “How is Varity different from AWS/Vercel/Netlify?”| Feature | Traditional Cloud | Varity |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Centralized servers | Distributed network |
| Pricing | Pay for compute time | Pay for what you use |
| User fees | N/A | $0 (sponsored) |
| Vendor lock-in | High | None (open standards) |
| Data ownership | Provider controlled | You control |
Is my data secure?
Section titled “Is my data secure?”Yes. Varity uses:
- End-to-end encryption for sensitive data
- Distributed storage (no single point of failure)
- Open-source code you can audit
What frameworks are supported?
Section titled “What frameworks are supported?”- Next.js 13+ (App Router)
- React (Vite or Create React App)
- Vue 3+
- Node.js backends
- Any static site generator
Deployment
Section titled “Deployment”How do I deploy my app?
Section titled “How do I deploy my app?”# Install the CLIpip install varitykit
# Deployvaritykit app deploySee the Quick Start guide for full details.
What hosting options are available?
Section titled “What hosting options are available?”| Static | Dynamic |
|---|---|
| Static websites | Full-stack applications |
| Marketing pages, docs | Apps with backend logic |
| Free | Pay for compute resources |
Can I rollback a deployment?
Section titled “Can I rollback a deployment?”Yes:
varitykit app rollback deploy-1737492000This creates a new deployment with your previous configuration.
Where is my app hosted?
Section titled “Where is my app hosted?”Your app is hosted on Varity’s secure, distributed infrastructure with global CDN delivery. Files are replicated across multiple regions for reliability.
Authentication
Section titled “Authentication”How do users log in?
Section titled “How do users log in?”Users can log in with:
- Email (magic link — no password needed)
- Google, Twitter, Discord, GitHub
No special knowledge required for users.
Do I need to set up authentication myself?
Section titled “Do I need to set up authentication myself?”No. Add PrivyStack to your app and authentication works automatically:
import { PrivyStack } from '@varity-labs/ui-kit';
<PrivyStack appId={process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_VARITY_APP_ID}> {children}</PrivyStack>What user data can I access?
Section titled “What user data can I access?”- Email address
- Display name
- Profile picture (from social login)
- Linked accounts (Google, Twitter, etc.)
All data is accessible via the usePrivy() hook.
Costs and Pricing
Section titled “Costs and Pricing”How much does Varity cost?
Section titled “How much does Varity cost?”During beta, Varity is free to use.
After production launch:
- Static hosting: Free
- Dynamic hosting: Based on compute resources used
- App Store listing: Platform takes 10% of app revenue
Do my users pay usage fees?
Section titled “Do my users pay usage fees?”No. All operational fees are sponsored by Varity. Users never see or pay operational costs.
How does the 90/10 revenue split work?
Section titled “How does the 90/10 revenue split work?”When users purchase your app or pay for subscriptions:
- 90% goes to you (the developer)
- 10% goes to the Varity platform
This is better than Apple App Store (70/30) or Google Play (70/30).
Technical
Section titled “Technical”Do I need any special infrastructure knowledge?
Section titled “Do I need any special infrastructure knowledge?”No. Varity abstracts all infrastructure complexity:
- Users log in with email (standard login flow)
- No usage fees to manage
- Standard JavaScript/TypeScript SDK
- Familiar React components
The infrastructure is invisible — you do not interact with it directly.
Can I use my existing database?
Section titled “Can I use my existing database?”Yes. Varity does not replace your database. You can:
- Use any database (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, etc.)
- Host your database anywhere
- Connect via standard database drivers
Varity also provides a built-in database module via @varity-labs/sdk. See the Database Quick Start.
What are the SDK package sizes?
Section titled “What are the SDK package sizes?”@varity-labs/sdk: ~50KB gzipped@varity-labs/ui-kit: ~120KB gzipped@varity-labs/types: ~5KB gzipped
All packages support tree-shaking for smaller bundles.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”My deployment failed
Section titled “My deployment failed”- Run
varitykit doctorto check your setup - Check your build works locally:
npm run build - See Troubleshooting for more help
Authentication is not working
Section titled “Authentication is not working”- Ensure
PrivyStackwraps your app - Check browser console for errors
- Contact support@varity.so if your domain needs to be allowed
I cannot find my deployment
Section titled “I cannot find my deployment”# List all deploymentsvaritykit app list
# Check latest statusvaritykit app status