Varity Docs Glossary Guide

Varity Team Core Contributors Updated June 2026

A guide to terms used in Varity documentation.

Core Concepts

App

A web application deployed on Varity. Static apps get a URL at https://varity.app/{name}/, dynamic apps get https://{name}.varity.app/, and each deployment has a unique deployment ID.

Deploy Key

A secret key that authenticates your deploys. Required when deploying from CI/CD or non-interactive environments.

Generate one at developer.store.varity.so or with:

varitykit auth login

Deployment

A specific version of your app that is live on Varity infrastructure. Each deployment has:

A unique ID (e.g., deploy-1737492000)
A status (live or archived)
A public URL

Deployment ID

A unique identifier for each deployment:

deploy-1737492000

Use this to track or reference specific versions.

Deployment Defaults

The public deployment settings Varity applies when you deploy:

Framework and input detection
Static or dynamic hosting mode
Runtime variables and service URLs
App URL shape

You can override supported settings such as app name, hosting mode, port, image reference, and environment variables. See Deployment Defaults.

Managed Credentials

Varity injects the infrastructure, database, and storage credentials your deployment needs at runtime. Your own app secrets (OpenAI, Stripe, and similar) are set as environment variables.

See Managed Credentials.

MCP Server

The Varity MCP (Model Context Protocol) server gives AI coding tools like Claude Code and Cursor a full set of tools for deploying and managing apps. Install it once and deploy from inside your AI editor.

See MCP Server.

Development Terms

CLI (varitykit)

The varitykit command-line tool for deploying and managing apps. Install with:

pipx install varitykit

Deployment Terms

Build Artifacts

The compiled output of your application (for example, the dist/ or .next/ folder). Varity builds your app automatically during deployment.

Redeploy a Previous Version

Varity tracks your deployment history locally. To return to an earlier version, redeploy that version of your code. This is a fresh deploy from your local history, not a managed rollback.

Hosting Terms

Static Hosting

Files are stored and distributed globally via CDN. Best for React SPAs, Vue apps, Next.js static exports, and documentation sites.

Use it for: prebuilt sites with no server-side code, served as static files from the edge.

Automatically selected when: your app has no server-side code, or uses next.config with output: 'export'.

Dynamic Hosting

Container-based compute for full-stack applications. Best for Next.js server-side rendering, Express APIs, FastAPI, Django, and any app with a backend.

Use it for: apps that run server-side code, handle requests at runtime, or connect to a database.

Automatically selected when: your app has a server/ directory, a Dockerfile, or a framework that requires server-side rendering.

CDN (Content Delivery Network)

A global network of servers that delivers your app files from the location closest to each user. All Varity static deployments include CDN delivery automatically.