> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.simplehost.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Anonymous Publishing

> Publish without an account — sites expire in 24 hours

## How It Works

You can publish to SimpleHost without an API key. Anonymous sites:

* Are live immediately at `slug.simplehost.dev`
* **Expire in 24 hours** automatically
* Come with a **claim token** to make them permanent later
* Are rate limited to **5 requests per hour** per IP

## Publish Anonymously

### With the script

Just don't set `SIMPLEHOST_API_KEY`:

```bash theme={null}
./publish.sh ./my-site
```

### With the API

Omit the `Authorization` header:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://simplehost.dev/api/v1/publish \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "files": [
      {"path": "index.html", "size": 512, "contentType": "text/html"}
    ]
  }'
```

### Response

The response includes extra fields for anonymous publishes:

```json theme={null}
{
  "slug": "bright-canvas-a7k2",
  "siteUrl": "https://bright-canvas-a7k2.simplehost.dev/",
  "claimToken": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "claimUrl": "https://simplehost.dev/claim?slug=bright-canvas-a7k2&token=550e8400...",
  "expiresAt": "2026-03-21T20:00:00.000Z",
  "anonymous": true,
  "warning": "IMPORTANT: Save the claimToken and claimUrl. Returned only once.",
  "upload": { ... }
}
```

<Warning>
  **Save the `claimToken` immediately.** It is returned only once and cannot be retrieved later. You need it to claim the site.
</Warning>

## Claim a Site

To make an anonymous site permanent, claim it with your API key and the claim token:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://simplehost.dev/api/v1/publish/bright-canvas-a7k2/claim \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sh_live_your_key_here" \
  -d '{"claimToken": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"}'
```

After claiming:

* The site no longer expires
* It appears in your dashboard
* You can update, delete, and manage it normally

## Use Cases

* **Quick demos** — Share a prototype without signing up
* **CI previews** — Generate deploy previews in PRs
* **One-off sharing** — Share a file for a day, it cleans up automatically
* **Try before committing** — Test SimpleHost before creating an account