Preview Deployments - rizset Docs

Preview deployments are one of Virex’s most powerful features. Every time you open a pull request, Virex automatically builds and deploys your changes to a unique URL, allowing you and your team to review changes before they go live.

How It Works

When you push to a branch with an open pull request:

1. Virex detects the push event via webhook
2. A new build is triggered with your branch’s code
3. The build is deployed to a unique preview URL
4. A comment is posted on your PR with the preview link

https://your-project-pr-123.virex.app

Each preview URL is unique to that specific commit, so you can compare different versions side by side.

Enabling Preview Deployments

Preview deployments are enabled by default for all projects connected to GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. No configuration required.

To customize behavior, add to your virex.config.js:

export default {
  previews: {
    enabled: true,
    // Only create previews for PRs targeting these branches
    targetBranches: ['main', 'develop'],
    // Expire previews after 7 days of inactivity
    expiration: '7d',
  },
};

Preview URLs

Preview URLs follow a predictable pattern:

Type	URL Pattern
PR Preview	{project}-pr-{number}.virex.app
Branch Preview	{project}-{branch}.virex.app
Commit Preview	{project}-{sha}.virex.app

You can also configure custom preview domains:

export default {
  previews: {
    domain: 'preview.yourcompany.com',
    // Results in: pr-123.preview.yourcompany.com
  },
};

GitHub Integration

Virex integrates deeply with GitHub to provide a seamless review experience:

Status Checks

Every preview deployment reports its status back to GitHub:

• Pending — Build is in progress
• Success — Preview is live and ready
• Failure — Build failed (click for logs)

You can require successful preview deployments before merging by enabling branch protection rules.

PR Comments

Virex automatically comments on your PR with:

• Direct link to the preview
• Build duration and size
• Lighthouse performance scores (if enabled)
• Screenshot comparison (if enabled)

Deployment Events

Preview deployments appear in GitHub’s Deployments tab, giving you a complete history of all previews for a PR.

Password Protection

For sensitive projects, you can protect preview deployments with a password:

export default {
  previews: {
    password: process.env.PREVIEW_PASSWORD,
  },
};

Or enable SSO protection for enterprise accounts:

export default {
  previews: {
    protection: 'sso', // Requires Virex login
  },
};

Environment Variables

Preview deployments use a separate set of environment variables from production. Configure them in the dashboard under Settings → Environment Variables → Preview.

Common patterns:

# Use a staging API for previews
API_URL=https://api-staging.yourcompany.com

# Disable analytics in previews
ANALYTICS_ENABLED=false

# Use test payment keys
STRIPE_KEY=pk_test_xxx

Collaboration Features

Sharing Previews

Share preview links with stakeholders who don’t have repository access. They can view the preview without needing a Virex account (unless password protected).

Comments on Previews

Team members can leave comments directly on preview deployments:

virex comment "The header looks off on mobile" --preview pr-123

Comments are synced back to the PR for visibility.

Visual Regression Testing

Enable automatic screenshot comparison to catch visual regressions:

export default {
  previews: {
    visualTesting: {
      enabled: true,
      pages: ['/', '/pricing', '/about'],
      viewports: ['mobile', 'desktop'],
    },
  },
};

Cleanup and Expiration

Preview deployments are automatically cleaned up to save resources:

• Merged PRs — Previews are deleted 24 hours after merge
• Closed PRs — Previews are deleted immediately
• Stale previews — Deleted after the configured expiration period

To keep a preview longer:

virex preview keep pr-123 --days 30

Best Practices

1. Use preview-specific environment variables — Don’t accidentally send test data to production services
2. Enable password protection for sensitive projects — Especially if previews contain unreleased features
3. Set up visual regression testing — Catch CSS bugs before they reach production
4. Configure expiration policies — Keep your preview environment clean

Troubleshooting

Preview not updating

Make sure your branch is pushed to the remote:

git push origin your-branch

Preview shows old content

Clear the CDN cache for the preview:

virex cache clear --preview pr-123

Build failing only in previews

Check that preview environment variables are configured correctly. A common issue is missing API keys that exist in production but not in preview.