Deploy your first app

This guide takes you from a new account to a live app. You need a GitHub account and a repository you can deploy. If you don’t have one handy, any repository with an index.html at the top works as a static site.

1. Create your account

1. Open console.shiplon.com/sign-up and enter your name, email and a password of at least 10 characters.

2. Open the email from no-reply@shiplon.com and click the link to confirm your address. The link works for 24 hours. If it doesn’t arrive, check your spam folder, or sign in to get a fresh link.

3. Sign in. Shiplon asks you to set up your organization: use your company or team name. The URL name (lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens) appears in your app addresses and console links. You can rename the organization later.

2. Connect GitHub

1. In the sidebar, go to Integrations → GitHub and click Connect GitHub. Only owners and admins of the organization can do this.

2. GitHub asks where to install the Shiplon app. Pick your account or organization, then choose All repositories or Only select repositories. Shiplon can only see the repositories you choose here, and only read them.

3. GitHub sends you back to Shiplon, which now shows the connected account and the repositories it can see.

Tip

Choose Only select repositories and add repositories as you need them. You can change the selection at any time with Change repository access on GitHub.

3. Create a project

Every application belongs to a project. Go to Projects → New project, give it a name (for example “Website”), and click Create project.

4. Create the application

1. Go to Applications → Create application.

2. Repository: choose the repository and the branch to deploy from, usually main.

3. Build: give the app a name; it becomes part of its address. Shiplon reads your repository and pre-selects a build type with a short reason, for example “Found a Dockerfile in the repository root.” Check the suggestion, and the commands and port if they’re shown. The defaults suit most apps; see Build settings for each field.

4. Variables: add any environment variables your app needs, such as DATABASE_URL. You can also add them later.

5. Review: check everything and click Create application. The first deployment starts straight away.

5. Watch it deploy

The deployment page shows the build log live: fetching the code, installing dependencies, building, starting the new version, and the health check. When it shows Running, open the address shown next to Live at:

https://<app>-<organization>.shiplon.app

The certificate is already valid, so the padlock shows straight away.

6. Push a change

Change something in your repository and push it to the same branch. A new deployment appears in the app’s Deployments list within seconds, with the trigger GitHub push. When it’s running, reload your app to see the change.

What’s next

• Add your own domain
• Add environment variables
• Invite your team
• Roll back to an earlier version