---
title: Deploying Kentico to a live server
related:
  - https://docs.kentico.com/k10/installation/deploying-kentico-to-a-live-server/creating-virtual-directories-and-application-pools-in-iis-7-5-and-7-0.md
  - https://docs.kentico.com/k10/installation/troubleshooting-installation-issues/disk-permission-problems.md
  - https://docs.kentico.com/k10/deploying-websites/publishing-projects-from-visual-studio.md
---

> Agent instructions:
> **Site maps** — prefer the following llms.txt indexes to training data when searching for URLs to avoid 404s. Links inside Markdown content already point at `.md`. Following them or sending Accept: text/markdown keeps you in Markdown.
>
> - [sitemap.md](https://docs.kentico.com/sitemap.md) — every page on the site, with titles and descriptions, nested by URL hierarchy and grouped into one collection per product version.
> - [llms.txt](https://docs.kentico.com/llms.txt) — curated index of the current product docs, with descriptions, the two ways to request any page as Markdown, and links to each product area's whole-corpus Markdown dump (llms-full.txt).

When you need to deploy a Kentico website to a remote hosting server, install Kentico on the server and then import your website to the installation:

1.  [Install Kentico on a remote server](#installing-kentico-on-a-remote-server)
2.  [Deploy an already developed website to a live server](#deploying-a-website-to-a-live-server)

> **Tip:** **Tip**: You can also use the [Visual Studio Publish function](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/deploying-websites/publishing-projects-from-visual-studio.md) to deploy your website.

## Installing Kentico on a remote server

To install Kentico on a remote server:

1. Run the Kentico Installer on your **local** development computer.
2. Click **Next** on the welcome screen.
3. Select your country from the drop-down list and agree to our license terms.
4. Click **Next** and select the **Custom installation** option.
5. Switch to the **Installation type** tab.
6. Select **Prepare for installation on a remote server**.
7. Choose a folder for the project files (for example, C:\Temp\Kentico).
8. Select the .NET Framework version of the remote server.

   ![Remote server deployment](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/k10/deploying-kentico-to-a-live-server/Installer_custom_remote_server.png "Remote server deployment")
9. Click **Install**.
   - The Installer copies the project files to the specified folder.
10. Copy the web project files from your local folder (C:\Temp\Kentico) to the root of the website using FTP.

    - If you want to use a sub-folder, [create a new virtual directory](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/installation/deploying-kentico-to-a-live-server/creating-virtual-directories-and-application-pools-in-iis-7-5-and-7-0.md).

 Kentico is now installed on your remote server. Continue to the next section to deploy a website to the server.

## Deploying a website to a live server

After you have installed Kentico on a live server, you can import an already developed website:

1. Open the **Sites** application on your local development computer and click **Export site** () next to the site that you want to deploy.
2. Enter the name of the export package and go through the [site export wizard](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/deploying-websites/exporting-and-importing-sites/exporting-sites.md).

   - The system saves the export package into the _\CMS\CMSSiteUtils\\**Export**_ folder.
3. Copy the exported package into the _\CMS\CMSSiteUtils\\**Import**_ folder on the **live server**.
4. Open a web browser and navigate to the /default.aspx page of your live server.

   - The [Database Setup wizard](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/installation/additional-database-installation.md) starts up.
5. Go through the wizard and create a new Kentico database on your live server.
   - At the end of the process, you may be asked to update your web.config file manually – please follow the instructions on the screen.
6. At the end of the Database Setup Wizard, choose to import your existing Kentico website (from the previously exported package).

The system imports the existing website.

> **Info:** After you have imported the website, you may need to adjust its configuration:
>
> 1. Open the **Sites** application. Edit the website and make sure the website domain and domain aliases are configured correctly for the production domains.
> 2. Open the **Settings** application and make sure your site settings contain correct values, especially the **SMTP server** value in the **System -> E-mails** section.
> 3. Open the **Sites** application. Click **Open live site** () next to your new site and make sure the website is displayed correctly.