Deploy from GitHub
Connect a GitHub repository and put it online — the step-by-step way and the one-command way.
This is the most common thing people do with Openship: take some code that lives on GitHub and make it a real, working website with its own address. Think of it like this — your code is a recipe, and Openship is the kitchen that cooks it and serves the meal. You point Openship at the recipe once, and it does the rest.
What you need first
- An Openship account (you're already in if you can see the dashboard).
- A GitHub repository with your app in it.
- That's it. You do not need Docker, a server, or any config files — Openship figures those out.
The click-by-click way
Connect your GitHub account (once)
Openship needs permission to read your repository. You only do this one time.
Go to Settings → General and press Connect GitHub. A GitHub window pops up asking "do you allow this?" — say yes. When it closes, you're connected.
Screenshot
Pick the repository you want to deploy
Open the Library page (the "New project" button takes you here too). Choose the Repositories tab — you'll see a list of your GitHub repos. Click the one you want.
Screenshot
Choose where it should run
Openship asks where to run your app. Pick the one that fits:
- Local — on this computer (great for trying things out on the desktop app).
- Server — on one of your own connected servers.
- Cloud — on Openship Cloud, where we run it for you.
If you're just starting, the default choice is fine — you can move it later.
Check the settings and press Deploy
Openship shows a summary: which framework it detected, the build command, and the web address it will use. For most apps you don't change anything here.
Press Deploy.
Tip
See a field you don't recognize? Leave it. Openship's detected defaults are correct for the large majority of apps — you only override things when you have a specific reason.
Watch it go live
You land on the build screen, which streams the logs live — like watching the oven through the glass door. When it finishes, you get a link. Click it, and your app is online. 🎉
Screenshot
Turn on auto-deploy (optional but great)
By default you deploy when you choose to. If you'd like Openship to redeploy every time you push to GitHub, turn on auto-deploy:
Open your project → Source tab → switch on Auto-deploy. From now on, every git push to your
deploy branch rebuilds and ships automatically.
Prefer the terminal?
Everything above works from the CLI too:
# Create a project pointing at your repo
openship project create --name my-app --git-owner your-name --git-repo my-app
# Ship it
openship deploy
# Optional: redeploy on every push
openship project git auto-deploy my-app --enableIf something goes wrong
“Connect GitHub” does nothing / no repos show up
Your GitHub connection didn't finish, or Openship has no permission for that repo. Go back to Settings → General, disconnect, and connect again — and when GitHub asks which repositories to grant, make sure your repo is included.
The build failed
Open the build screen and read the last few red lines — that's the real reason. Most first-time failures are one of: a missing build command, a missing environment variable, or the app listening on the wrong port. See Troubleshooting → Deployments for the fixes.
What next?
Core concepts
The plain-language vocabulary the rest of the docs use — organizations, projects, deployments, services, servers, domains, environments, and runtimes.
Deploy a local folder
Put an app online straight from a folder on your computer — no GitHub required. The desktop picker, the browser upload, and the one-command CLI way.