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Every PR gets its own preview URL so teammates can review changes live before merging. Vercel does this automatically. You can replicate it with GitHub Actions + S3:
# .github/workflows/preview.yml
name: Preview Deploy
on:
pull_request:
types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
jobs:
deploy-preview:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- run: npm ci && npm run build
- name: Deploy preview to S3
run: |
aws s3 sync ./dist s3://BUCKET/previews/pr-PR_NUMBER/ --delete
- name: Comment preview URL on PR
uses: actions/github-script@v7
with:
script: |
github.rest.issues.createComment({
issue_number: context.issue.number,
owner: context.repo.owner,
repo: context.repo.repo,
body: "Preview deployed: https://preview.yourapp.com/pr-PR_NUMBER/"
})name: Cleanup Preview
on:
pull_request:
types: [closed]
jobs:
cleanup:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Delete preview from S3
run: |
aws s3 rm s3://BUCKET/previews/pr-PR_NUMBER/ --recursive| Strategy | Pattern | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Flow | feature branch → PR → merge to main → auto-deploy | Most web apps. Simple, effective. |
| Trunk-based | Merge to main frequently, use feature flags for incomplete work | Fast teams, high CI discipline |
| Gitflow | develop → release → main. Multiple long-lived branches. | Products with scheduled releases |
GitHub Flow for most web apps. Keep branches short-lived (<2 days). Use feature flags for incomplete features instead of long-lived branches.