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

# Cloud builds overview

> Connect your source control and every commit builds itself — compiled, cooked, and packaged on Streampixel's build infrastructure.

Stop uploading builds by hand. Connect your repository once, and every commit builds itself — compiled, cooked, and packaged in the cloud, in minutes instead of hours of local packaging and upload. Then do what you want with the result: **stream it in the browser**, or **download the build and ship it anywhere**.

No build machine to maintain, no packaging scripts, no 20 GB `.zip` crawling up your connection. Set it up once — source, build type, trigger — and it runs on every commit.

Cloud builds are powered by **Unreal Engine Horde** running on Streampixel's build fleet, which distributes the compile, shader, and cook work across many machines in parallel — the reason a build that ties up your workstation for hours finishes in minutes.

## What you get

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Push-to-build" icon="code-commit">
    Every push to your branch triggers a fresh build automatically — commit, and a few minutes later it's in your Build History.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scheduled builds" icon="calendar-days">
    Nightly Shipping build from `main`, hourly Development builds — any cadence, in your timezone.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Live build logs" icon="terminal">
    Watch sync, compile, cook, and package output stream live — the same output you'd see locally, with search and level filters.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Auto-deploy" icon="rocket">
    Flip one switch and a green build goes straight to your live stream — commit-to-playable with zero clicks.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Artifact downloads" icon="download">
    Every build produces a packaged `.zip` that's yours — ship it to another platform, archive it, test it locally.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build notifications" icon="envelope">
    Success and failure emails, with the failing stage and a log link when something breaks.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How it works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Connect a repository">
    On your project's **Builds** page, click **Connect Repository** and link a **GitHub** repository or a **Perforce** depot. See [Connect your repository](/resources/cloud-builds/connect-your-repository).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a build configuration">
    Define how builds are produced: build type, branch or stream, and what triggers a build — manually, on every push, or on a schedule. See [Build configurations](/resources/cloud-builds/build-configurations).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build, then deploy or download">
    Watch the build move through its stages with live logs. When it's **Ready**, deploy it for streaming or download the artifact. See [Running and monitoring builds](/resources/cloud-builds/running-and-monitoring-builds).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What your project needs

| Requirement            | Notes                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Source control         | A **GitHub** repository or **Perforce** depot containing your Unreal project source (not a packaged build).                                                                                                                    |
| A valid `.uproject`    | Detected automatically anywhere in the repo. It must parse as valid JSON — the engine version is read from it, so you never pick a UE version by hand.                                                                         |
| Pixel Streaming plugin | Required if you plan to stream the build — either **Pixel Streaming** (recommended) or **Pixel Streaming 2**, never both at once. A build without it still compiles, but you'll see an error when it's deployed for streaming. |
| Platform               | **Windows** (`win64`) — more platforms are coming soon.                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Build type             | **Development** or **Shipping**.                                                                                                                                                                                               |

There are no build-count limits — trigger as many builds as your workflow needs.

## Pick your path

Three ways to get a build onto Streampixel — cloud builds is the managed one, and the other two aren't going anywhere:

|                           | Cloud builds                                       | Your own CI/CD                                                                                                      | Manual upload                        |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Build machine             | None — Streampixel runs it                         | Yours                                                                                                               | Your workstation                     |
| Packaging                 | Automatic                                          | Your pipeline scripts                                                                                               | Unreal Editor, by hand               |
| Trigger                   | Push, schedule, or one click                       | Whatever your pipeline supports                                                                                     | You, when you remember               |
| Getting it to Streampixel | Built-in **Deploy** / auto-deploy                  | Pass the `.zip` URL to the [Upload File API](/resources/api-reference/upload-file-api)                              | Dashboard upload                     |
| Best when                 | You want commit-to-stream with zero infrastructure | You need custom build steps or already run a build farm — see the [CI/CD recipe](/resources/recipes/ci-cd-pipeline) | One-off builds, or no source control |

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect your repository" icon="code-branch" href="/resources/cloud-builds/connect-your-repository">
    Link GitHub or Perforce to your project.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build configurations" icon="sliders" href="/resources/cloud-builds/build-configurations">
    Branches, triggers, schedules, and auto-deploy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Running and monitoring builds" icon="bars-progress" href="/resources/cloud-builds/running-and-monitoring-builds">
    Stages, live logs, deploy, and artifact download.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage deployments" icon="cubes" href="/resources/dashboard/builds">
    What happens after a build is deployed.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>