A blank screen after you publish

1. Open the live address in Chrome.

   Right-click the empty page, choose Inspect, and select Network. Reload once with that panel open. Start with the row whose Type is document; read its Status and open Response to see whether the host actually returned your app’s HTML.

2. Check the files needed to draw it.

   Click the JS filter. Open a failed script row and read Headers and Response. Record its request URL and status. A response containing an HTML page where JavaScript was expected is useful evidence of a routing or asset-path problem.

3. Read the first console failure.

   Select Console, reload again, and record the first error plus the file and line shown beside it. Use the actual message from your page. Later messages may follow from that first failure; do not invent an error to give the builder.

4. Compare a fresh visit.

   Open the same live address in an incognito window. If it draws there, record that difference before clearing anything in your normal browser. If both fail, compare the failing file URL with the published build’s files.

WORKSThe live page draws in a fresh visit and the required script requests complete.

BROKENThe document or required script fails, or startup stops at a reproducible console error.

Ranked in the order to investigate, not by claimed frequency.

1. The document or a script is missing.

   Correct the host’s published output directory or the app’s asset path using the failed URL as evidence. Verify that the replacement deployment actually contains the requested file before retesting the live address.

2. JavaScript starts and then fails.

   Give the first console failure and its file location to the person changing the code. Repair that failing startup path, then reload with Console open and confirm the page renders.

3. The browser has an older copy.

   Use the cache guide to compare the deployment address and browser cache before changing application code. A fresh window working is a clue, not proof that every visitor is fixed.

• If only a bookmarked inner page fails, compare it with the home address and then navigate there through the app. That isolates direct-route handling from general startup.
• A page can render text that matches its background. Check the Elements panel before assuming every visually empty page is a JavaScript crash.

When to stop and hand it over

Stop after capturing the document status, first failed script and first console error if the fix requires editing unfamiliar startup code. Send the exact URL and a screenshot with tokens removed. Stop sooner if a response reveals private information.