1.5 — Putting It Online (Deploy)
Your project lives on your computer. Deploying means putting it somewhere anyone with a link can see it.
The concept of local vs. remote was introduced in 0.3 — How Software Works. This section makes it real: you’ll move your project from local to live.
Local vs. Remote
Section titled “Local vs. Remote”Local — on your computer. Only you can see it. When you run a localhost server, the URL localhost:3000 means “my computer, port 3000” — it doesn’t exist on the internet.
Remote — on someone else’s server. Anyone with the URL can access it. This is what “deployed” means.
The Simplest Deploy Path
Section titled “The Simplest Deploy Path”Three steps from local to live:
- Push your Git repo to GitHub — this uploads your code from your computer to the internet (learning one new command:
git push) - Connect GitHub to a hosting service — Vercel, Netlify, or GitHub Pages all offer free tiers and can connect directly to your GitHub repo
- Get a live URL — the hosting service builds your project and gives you a link anyone can visit
That’s it. The first time takes 10 minutes. After that, every git push automatically updates the live site.
Why Hosting Services Instead of Running Your Own Server
Section titled “Why Hosting Services Instead of Running Your Own Server”You could run your own server. It would require configuring a machine, managing security, handling uptime, and a lot of ongoing work. Hosting services do all of that for you — they take your code and handle everything else.
For Phase 1, free tier hosting (Vercel, Netlify, GitHub Pages) is the right choice. It costs nothing and deploys in minutes.
Terms Introduced
Section titled “Terms Introduced”| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Push | Send your local Git commits up to GitHub (remote) |
| Pull | Download changes from GitHub (remote) to your computer (local) |
| Hosting | A service that runs your project on a server so others can access it |
| URL | The web address where your deployed project lives |
| DNS (Domain Name System) | The system that translates human-readable names (google.com) to computer addresses. Like a phone book for the internet. |
What DNS Has to Do With It
Section titled “What DNS Has to Do With It”When you deploy, you get a URL like my-project.vercel.app. If you want a custom domain (myname.com), you buy a domain name and configure DNS to point that name at your hosting service’s servers. DNS is what makes google.com work instead of having to type a number like 142.250.80.46.
For Phase 1, the auto-generated URL is fine. Custom domains are a refinement, not a requirement.
Next: 1.6 — Vocabulary Bank | Phase overview: Phase 1