Tech • AI • Robotics
The Easiest Way to Build & Host a Website with Claude Code (Full Tutorial)
5/10TL;DR
Claude Code can generate a portfolio site from plain-English prompts, while a hosting.com unmanaged Linux VPS paired with WHM, cPanel, and Cloudflare can publish it on a custom domain with SSL and HTTPS.
KEY POINTS
The main bottleneck is deployment
Many AI-built sites never move beyond localhost because publishing introduces unfamiliar concepts such as servers, DNS, SSL, and hosting. The workflow here addresses that gap by taking a site from local files to a live domain without requiring prior knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or Linux administration.
Why an unmanaged VPS was chosen
The setup uses hosting.com’s unmanaged Linux VPS, which provides full root access and isolated server resources. Unlike shared hosting, the plan allows direct control over server software and supports installing WHM and cPanel, a combination aimed at freelancers and small businesses that may want to host more than one site later.
WHM and cPanel split server and site management
WHM operates at the server level, handling tasks such as hostname configuration, account creation, SSL management, and broader system settings. cPanel sits underneath it for day-to-day website work, including file uploads, email, databases, and domain-specific controls.
Initial server setup starts in WHM
After provisioning the VPS, the server is accessed through its IP address on port 2087, using the root account. A temporary hostname is assigned first, then later changed to a subdomain such as server.nocodemikey.com because cPanel expects the server hostname to be separate from the main website domain.
Cloudflare becomes the DNS authority
The domain is connected through Cloudflare rather than default registrar name servers because the unmanaged VPS is not tied to a shared DNS cluster. Two DNS records are added manually: an A record for the root domain and a wildcard A record pointing to the same server IP, with both set to DNS only rather than proxied.
Name server cleanup matters
Once Cloudflare provides two authoritative name servers, they replace the registrar’s existing ones completely. Leaving old and new name servers mixed together can create intermittent failures, a common issue that is harder to diagnose than a total outage.
A cPanel account must exist before AutoSSL works
After DNS is pointed correctly, WHM creates a new cPanel account for the domain. Only then does AutoSSL have a domain to validate and issue a certificate for. Before that step, there is nothing for the system to secure. A temporary self-signed certificate may appear first, but it is replaced automatically once AutoSSL completes.
HTTPS is enforced and server maintenance remains manual
Inside cPanel, Force HTTPS Redirect is enabled so visitors using the non-secure URL are sent to the encrypted version automatically. Because the VPS is unmanaged, ongoing tasks remain the owner’s responsibility, including changing the provider-generated root password, applying operating system and cPanel updates, and maintaining backups.
Claude Code builds the site in stages
Claude Code, Anthropic’s coding agent, works directly inside a project folder rather than only returning code snippets. It can create files, organize folders, edit code, and install dependencies. The site is built through four smaller prompts instead of one large request: first a hero section, then about and skills, then projects and contact, and finally navigation, footer, hover effects, and mobile responsiveness.
The example site is a complete portfolio
The resulting portfolio uses separate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, a dark navy palette with electric blue accents, an animated particle background, project cards, a contact form, sticky navigation, smooth scrolling, and a responsive layout. The staged approach keeps design consistency while reducing the risk of the AI rewriting working sections.
Publishing is done by uploading to public_html
Once complete, the project files are uploaded through cPanel File Manager into public_html, the web root for the domain. The crucial file is index.html, which the server reads as the default homepage. After upload, the site becomes available on the live domain and can be shared with clients, employers, or customers.
CONCLUSION
The process shows that AI-assisted site building only becomes useful when paired with a practical deployment workflow. With Claude Code for development and a VPS, Cloudflare, WHM, and cPanel for hosting, a locally generated project can become a live, reusable web property on a custom domain.
Explain this