Base

How Base Works

Base takes a GitHub repository URL and serves your React application on a public URL. The deployment pipeline:

1. Get the GitHub URL from the user
2. Clone the repo and store it in cloud storage
3. Build the project and store build files
4. Serve the application on a public URL
5. Handle incoming requests and serve build files

System Design Overview

The architecture breaks down into three main services working together:

Upload Service -> Deploy Service -> Request Handler

Each service has a specific responsibility and communicates through Redis queues, making the system scalable and fault-tolerant.

Architecture & Services

Upload Service

The entry point for new deployments. Handles repository ingestion and initial processing.

What it does:

• Receives GitHub URL from user
• Clones repository using simple-git
• Uploads source code to Cloudflare R2 storage
• Pushes deployment job to Redis queue
• Updates deployment status in Redis
• Returns deployment ID to user

Libraries used:

• simple-git - Git operations and repository cloning
• express - API endpoints and request handling
• aws-sdk - Cloudflare R2 storage interactions
• redis - Queue management and status updates

Deploy Service

The build engine that processes queued deployments and generates production assets.

What it does:

• Listens to Redis queue for new deployments
• Downloads source code from Cloudflare R2
• Runs build commands using child_process
• Uploads generated build files to R2 storage
• Updates deployment status in Redis

Libraries used:

• child_process - Execute build commands (npm install, npm run build)
• aws-sdk - Download source and upload build artifacts
• redis - Queue processing and status management

Request Handler

The serving layer that delivers built applications to end users.

What it does:

• Receives requests with deployment ID
• Downloads build files from Cloudflare R2
• Serves static files to users
• Handles routing for single-page applications

Libraries used:

• express - HTTP server and routing
• aws-sdk - Retrieve build files from storage

Tech Stack

Backend Services: Node.js with Express Storage: Cloudflare R2 (S3-compatible object storage) Queue Management: Redis Version Control: Git integration via simple-git Build Process: Native Node.js child_process

Database Strategy

Cloudflare R2

• Stores source code after cloning
• Stores build artifacts for serving
• Provides S3-compatible API for seamless integration

Redis

• Manages deployment queues between services
• Stores deployment status and metadata
• Enables real-time status updates

Why I Built This

Building this platform taught me how much we take services like Vercel for granted. While frontend engineering evolves with AI, I wanted to understand the peripheral concepts - how CI/CD works, how deployment happens, and how code reaches end users. Every component was built to understand the fundamental concepts behind modern deployment platforms.