Optimizely Frontend Hosting is a cloud-based solution for deploying headless frontend applications - currently supporting only Next.js projects. Its deployment process and core concept are familiar to .NET developers who have worked with Optimizely DXP: code is deployed via a managed pipeline, and environment setup is handled entirely by Optimizely.

Out of the box, Optimizely Frontend Hosting includes a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and CDN powered by Cloudflare, ensuring your statically generated Next.js content is delivered globally with high performance and security - no additional configuration required.

Compared to frontend-specialized platforms like Vercel, Optimizely Frontend Hosting doesn’t aim to deliver a full-featured developer platform. Instead, it offers a stable and integrated solution for teams already working with the Optimizely stack, looking for a reliable and supported way to host frontend applications alongside their CMS and backend infrastructure.

This makes it ideal for enterprise use cases where vendor consolidation, support unification, and environment control are priorities.

Common use cases

Optimizely Frontend Hosting is especially valuable in enterprise scenarios where control, compliance, and integration are key. Here are some typical situations where it fits perfectly:

• You’re already using Optimizely PaaS CMS hosted on Optimizely DXP, and now want to move toward a headless architecture using a modern framework like Next.js.
• Your company is already invested in Optimizely DXP running on Microsoft Azure, and internal IT policies prohibit the use of external platforms like Vercel or Netlify - or you simply prefer to keep everything under one vendor.
• Without Optimizely Frontend Hosting, you'd have to manually configure Azure environments, set up CDN, WAF, pipelines, and handle ongoing infrastructure maintenance - all of which add complexity.
• This is where Optimizely Frontend Hosting brings the most value: just like with DXP, you get ready-to-use environments and infrastructure set up for you - your only responsibility is to prepare and deploy your Next.js build package.

In summary:

Optimizely Frontend Hosting is an ideal solution for teams already familiar with Optimizely DXP who want to go headless without managing infrastructure. It delivers simplicity, security, and performance - while keeping everything under the Optimizely umbrella.