Ever burned half an hour on “quick” demo wiring?
Picture this: you’ve hacked together a proof-of-concept, zip-zapped the CSS, and now you just need to show it to a client. Twenty minutes later you’re still configuring a build step, adding an index.html redirect, or waiting on CI to churn out an artifact. All that yak-shaving for a tiny demo—not fun.
Bantam was built to end that ritual. For years our drag-and-drop uploader let anyone drop a zip and snag a branded URL in seconds. Today we’re sliding the same instant-publishing magic straight into your terminal with the new Bantam CLI.
Why a static site deployment CLI matters
- Speed over pipelines. No CI, no YAML—just one command.
- Zero config. Folder in → live site out.
- Permanent or ephemeral. Let mock-ups expire automatically or flip them permanent for production.
- Custom domains, too. bantam deploy -d mysite.com handles DNS and SSL for you.
Developers already live in the shell—33-34 % of respondents list Bash/Shell among their primary daily languages. (survey.stackoverflow.co) A CLI that publishes as fast as you can git add is a natural fit.
Code-first walkthrough: install → deploy → domain in 15 s
► All snippets are copy-ready.
Install (global)
npm i -g @bantamhq/cli
Deploy the current folder
bantam deploy -s demo-site
Go custom (optional)
bantam deploy -d mysite.com
- Step 1 drops a 2 MB binary into your global node_modules (or use npx if you hate globals).
- Step 2 zips your working directory, uploads it, and returns an instant live URL like https://demo-site.bantam.host. Typical cold start is ~4 s, even on hotel Wi-Fi.
- Step 3 provisions SSL, sets CNAMEs, and issues a cert in under a minute.
Need extra flags? Peek the full deploy command options.
How Bantam stacks up: Surge & Tiiny Host
Feature Comparison
Bantam CLI delivers one-command deployment with human-readable URLs (-s docs-v3), custom domains via CLI, and expiring links with the -e flag. As a brand-new offering, download stats are still growing.
Surge CLI boasts ~60,000 weekly NPM downloads (npmjs.com) and 2.9k GitHub stars (github.com). It offers one-command deploy and custom domains via CLI, but lacks expiring links and uses random URL names unless paid.
Tiiny Host provides drag-and-drop deployment only (no CLI), custom domains through UI only, and expiring links via UI toggle.
What the numbers say
Surge’s decade-old CLI still pulls ~60 000 weekly installs, proof that fast, no-build hosting solves real pain. But it hasn’t seen a release in ten months, and collaborators report sporadic region lag. Bantam starts where Surge stops: automatic HTTPS, expiring demos, and sub-15 second cold deploys—all via a fresh TypeScript codebase.
Tiiny Host aces drag-and-drop simplicity, yet ships no CLI.
Pro tips & mini-FAQ
Set expiration on demo links
Great for hackathons or classroom labs.
bantam deploy -e 1
Permanent mode
Stick your project forever.
bantam deploy -p
Who owns the URL?
You do. Flip to a custom domain any time—SSL is free.
bantam deploy -d docs.example.com
You don't own a URL?
Choose a subdomain on bantam.site.
bantam deploy -s docs
What about build steps (React, Svelte, Astro)?
Bundle locally the way you like (npm run build), then point Bantam at the output folder:
bantam deploy dist/
The subtle nudge
Ready to trim deploy time and skip CI for your next prototype? Grab the CLI, ship something cool, and tell us what you built. When you outgrow the free tier, our pricing scales with you.
Push a folder. Get a URL.
Ready to simplify your file sharing?
Upload files and websites instantly. Get professional, branded links that last exactly as long as you need.
