Previews and automatic cleanup

Enable pull request previews

1. Open the Amplify app → Hosting → Previews
2. Select branch staging → Edit settings
3. Turn Pull request previews Enabled → Confirm
4. Leave main previews Disabled for this lab

Close

After save, Hosting → Previews should show staging Enabled and main Disabled:

Close

Note

The Console may warn that previews are limited for public repos with Amplify backend templates. This lab is Hosting-only (static Astro), so a public repo is fine.

You will prove a preview URL on the next page:

https://pr-<number>.<app-id>.amplifyapp.com

Automatic cleanup

Two separate switches — GitHub deletes the Git head branch; Amplify disconnects the matching Amplify branch (preview hosts after feature merges; also staging if Git staging was deleted).

GitHub — delete head branches after merge

1. Open the sample repo on GitHub → Settings → General
2. Under Pull Requests, enable Automatically delete head branches

Close

Amplify — remove preview hosts when the Git branch is gone

1. Open the Amplify app → Hosting / App settings → Repository settings (or Branch settings) → Edit
2. Enable Branch auto-disconnection — “Automatically disconnect branches in Amplify when deleting a branch in your source repository”
3. Leave Branch autodetection off for this lab (you already connected main and staging manually)
4. Keep Production branch as main
5. Save

Close

Without auto-disconnection, delete the preview branch in the Console yourself after the Git branch is gone.

Caution

Auto-delete head branches removes the PR head. That is fine for feature → staging. For staging → main, protect staging first (Restrict deletions on a ruleset, or classic Allow deletions off) — see GitHub branches and CI.

Next: Prove the flow.