Glossary

Varity Team Core Contributors Updated May 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 token 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, roll back, or reference specific versions.

Intelligent Orchestration

Varity’s automatic configuration system. When you deploy, it analyzes your project and automatically:

Detects your framework (Next.js, React, Python, etc.)
Provisions the services your app needs (database, cache, etc.)
Chooses the right hosting type (static or dynamic)

You never configure any of this manually. See Intelligent Orchestration.

Managed Credentials

Varity provides all the API keys and secrets your app needs automatically. You do not need to sign up for third-party services or manage credentials manually.

When you deploy, Varity injects the right credentials at runtime. 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.

Rollback

Reverting to a previous deployment version. Instant with no downtime.

varitykit app rollback deploy-1737492000

See Rollback a Deployment.

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.

Equivalent: Like Netlify or Cloudflare Pages.

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.

Equivalent: Like Heroku or Railway.

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.