Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
72 lines (44 loc) · 2.76 KB

publishing-on-heroku.md

File metadata and controls

72 lines (44 loc) · 2.76 KB
Raw

Publishing on the web (Heroku)

We recommend using Heroku to get your prototype online. It’s simple and fast to deploy new versions as you work.

Once your prototype is on Heroku, other people will be able to access and try your prototype from their own computers or mobile devices.

DO NOT enter real user data in to prototypes hosted on Heroku. If your prototype stores or collects user data, talk to a security professional about appropriate security steps you must take.

A prototype deployed on Heroku is called an app - it will have a url like: your-prototype.herokuapp.com.

You can have multiple apps running on Heroku - projects often have several so they can try different ideas out at once.

1) Sign up to Heroku

If you’re new to Heroku, sign up for a free account. When asked what language you use, select node.js.

2) Install the Heroku toolbelt.

Install the Heroku toolbelt.

On Windows, after downloading the toolbelt you'll need to run heroku login using the cmd app, as it does not work in Git Bash. Once you've logged in, you can return to using Git Bash.

The toolbelt lets you use Heroku through the terminal. You will need to restart the terminal after installing the toolbelt.

3) Choose a name for your app.

Pick a name for your app. You need to choose a name that's unique. The name is used in the url for your prototype. For example: govuk-payments-prototype will create an app at: govuk-payments-prototype.herokuapp.com.

4) Create an app on Heroku

You need to create an app on Heroku for each prototype you want to put on the web.

In the folder of your prototype, run:

heroku apps:create [NAME OF YOUR APP] --region eu

Replace [name of your app] with what you want to call your prototype.

5) Set a username and password

Prototypes made with the kit require a username and password when published online. This stops members of the public coming across your prototype by accident.

To set username and password:

heroku config:set USERNAME=username_here
heroku config:set PASSWORD=password_here

6) Deploy your work

Make sure any changes you've made to your prototype have been committed to git.

From your prototype folder:

git push heroku master

This will push your work to Heroku. Deploying may take a minute or so.

7) View your prototype on the web

After your work is deployed, you will be able to view it on the web by visiting [name].herokuapp.com. You can run heroku open to open your prototype in a browser.

Heroku puts apps to sleep that haven’t been accessed in a while - so if you’ve not visited your prototype for a while it may take a few seconds to open.

Documentation index