Front-end and static sites
Exporting a Tilda site: where to host the archive and what breaks
In short
A site exported from Tilda is a ZIP archive of HTML pages, styles, scripts and images, and it can be hosted on any static site host. Export is only available on the Business line of Tilda plans, and forms keep sending submissions after the move only while the Tilda subscription is active and the domain is set in the site settings. Tilda CRM, the members area, page passwords and catalog management do not move, and clean page URLs rely on an htaccess file that only the Apache web server understands. On Netrun the archive is uploaded as a static site and gets an HTTPS link right away, while a custom domain comes with the Pro plan.
- Code export in Tilda is only available on the Business line of plans and is downloaded as a ZIP from the Export tab in the site settings.
- The export archive contains HTML pages plus the css, js, images and files folders, with pages saved under names like page1001.html.
- The htaccess file in the archive only works with the Apache web server, and for nginx or other servers the page URL rules have to be written by hand.
- Forms on an exported site send submissions through Tilda data services only while the subscription is active and the domain is set in the settings.
- Tilda CRM, the members area, page passwords and the Tilda HTTPS certificate do not carry over to another host.
Your site is built in Tilda, and for one reason or another you want it to live somewhere else: on the same host as your other projects, next to your own code, or simply as a copy you control. Tilda can export a site as an archive, and that archive is an ordinary static site: HTML pages, styles, scripts and images. Such a site opens from any host that can serve files.
But part of what you are used to in Tilda lives on its servers rather than in the files: form submissions, the CRM, the members area, catalog management. Below is how to export the archive, what keeps working in the new place, what stops, and how to handle page URLs so that the links in your menu go where they should.
| Feature | In Tilda | After export |
|---|---|---|
| Pages, design, images | Work | Work: the HTML, styles, scripts and images are in the archive |
| Page URLs like /about | Work | Depend on htaccess for Apache; on other servers you write the rules yourself |
| Forms and submissions | Work | Work while the Tilda subscription is active and the domain is set |
| Product catalog | Edited in the editor | Products can only be created and changed in the Tilda account |
| Feeds (news, articles) | Work | New posts only in Tilda, direct links to single posts do not work |
| Tilda CRM, members area, page passwords | Available | Not exported |
| HTTPS | Tilda certificate | The Tilda certificate does not work, the new host provides HTTPS |
| Site edits | Live right after publishing | Only by exporting again and uploading the new archive |
Set the domain and export the archive#
Code export is only available on the Business line of Tilda plans. Before exporting, Tilda requires you to enter the domain the exported code will live on in the site settings, because forms and some services depend on it. Then open the Export tab in the site settings, choose to download a .zip archive and start the export. A little later you will have an archive with the whole site.
Look inside the archive#
Inside are the HTML pages and the css, js, images and files folders, and the pages themselves are named by number, like page1001.html. Next to them is an htaccess file with rules that map familiar page URLs to those files. Check that there is an index.html at the root of the archive, since that is what the server opens as the home page. If the home page was saved under another name, make a copy of it called index.html.
Decide what to do with page URLs#
The htaccess file only works with the Apache web server, and Tilda says plainly that for nginx you have to write the rules yourself. Netrun serves static sites with nginx, so without rules a URL like /about will not be found and the home page opens instead, while a page addressed by its file name, such as /page1001.html, always opens. If you have only a few pages, add your own Dockerfile with nginx to the archive, mapping every URL to its file with a line like location = /about { try_files /page1001.html =404; } and putting the port in the first EXPOSE line. A one-page site needs none of this.
Test forms and submissions#
Forms on an exported site send submissions through Tilda data services, and that only works while the Tilda subscription is active and the domain is set in the settings. After the move, send a test submission from every form and make sure it reached your email, spreadsheet or CRM. If you plan to cancel the subscription, the forms will need their own handler, otherwise submissions will stop arriving. The catalog is the same story: products can only be changed in the Tilda account, so place a full test order before sending people to the site.
Upload the archive and connect your domain#
Upload the ZIP to Netrun: the platform recognizes a static site and gives you an HTTPS link, with the certificate issued automatically. The Tilda certificate does not work on another host, so HTTPS is the new host’s job. To make the site open on your own domain, connect it on the Pro plan and switch the domain records at your registrar from Tilda to the new address. Until the records change, the domain keeps opening the Tilda version.
Update the site by exporting again#
An exported archive is a snapshot of the site at the moment of export. Edits you make later in the Tilda editor do not reach your host on their own: after a change, export the archive again and upload it as a new version. The project link stays the same. If you edit often, decide up front where the main version of the site now lives, so you do not maintain it in two places.
Exporting from Tilda works well when the site is mostly pages: a landing page, a business card, a portfolio. Then the archive moves almost intact, and only page URLs and forms need attention. If the site depends on the CRM, the members area or the catalog, it is more honest to keep it on Tilda: those parts live on its servers and are not in the archive. On Netrun the archive is uploaded as a static site, runs on the free plan and gets an HTTPS link, while a custom domain comes with Pro. Try Netrun.
Common questions
Which Tilda plan lets me export my site?
Only the Business line of plans. On other plans the code cannot be exported. The archive is downloaded as a ZIP file from the Export tab in the site settings.
Will forms still work after exporting from Tilda?
Yes, with a condition: submissions go through Tilda data services while the subscription is active and the domain is set in the site settings. If you cancel the subscription, the forms need a handler of their own. After the move, be sure to send a test submission from every form.
Why do menu links open the home page after the move?
Because clean URLs like /about are mapped to page files by htaccess rules, and only Apache understands them. On an nginx server without your own rules that URL is not found, and in that case Netrun shows the home page. Your own nginx rules in a Dockerfile, or links straight to the page files, fix it.
Can I cancel my Tilda subscription after exporting?
Pages, styles and images will keep working, since they are in the archive. But forms will stop sending submissions through Tilda services, and the CRM, the members area and catalog management stay in your Tilda account. If the site depends on those parts, it loses the essentials without the subscription.
Can I move a Tilda online store?
Carefully. Catalog products can only be created and changed in the Tilda account, so you will still manage the store there after exporting. Before sending people to the moved site, place a full test order and check that it reached you.
Do I need my own domain to host an exported site?
No. On Netrun the site gets a working HTTPS link right away. A custom domain is connected on the Pro plan if you want the site to open at its old address; for that, you change the domain records at your registrar.
How do I put a website online?
Upload your site code as a ZIP archive or from GitHub — Netrun builds it and gives you a working link with HTTPS. A static site (HTML, CSS, JS), a React app or a Python site all work. There is no domain to buy and no server or certificates to set up.
Can I connect my own domain?
Yes, on the Pro plan, and not just one: you can connect as many of your own domains to a website as you need. Open the “Domains” tab on the project page, enter the domain you bought from a registrar, and add the DNS record shown in the hint — every next domain is added the same way. Once the domains are ready, press “Check”: Netrun checks them all at once and issues a separate HTTPS certificate for each, so a hiccup with one domain does not hold up the others. The site opens at any of your addresses, and the Netrun link stays as a backup. If you connect a whole domain (for example myshop.com), you can add one more record so the site also opens with www. This is for websites — a bot or a background script does not need a domain.
Do I need to buy a domain and set up HTTPS?
No. Netrun gives your project a public address with HTTPS right away — the link with the padlock works out of the box. There is no domain to buy and no certificates to fuss with, it is all already included.