Preview environments

A preview for every branch

Push a branch and get a live URL built from it. Open a pull request and reviewers get a link. Delete the branch and the environment goes away. Each preview is password protected.

console.light-cloud.com/website/shop/environments
acme-labs/website / shopJ
shop2 environments
Environments
  1. Push branch
  2. Preview live
  3. Merged
  • mainshop.light-cloud.ioprotected
  • feature/searchsearch-shop.light-cloud.iopasswordLive

Push a branch, get a password-protected preview on its own light-cloud.io subdomain, merge, and it is gone.

How it works

From branch to review link, and back to nothing.

Connect a repository once. Every branch after that comes with a URL and leaves without a trace.

  1. 1

    Push a branch

    Connect the branch and push. Light Cloud creates an environment for it, separate from production.

    git push origin feature/checkout

  2. 2

    Built on push

    The branch is built the same way production is, so what a reviewer sees is what ships.

    checkout-shop.light-cloud.io

  3. 3

    Link in the PR

    Open a pull request and reviewers get a link to click instead of a branch to pull.

    Light Cloud · Preview ready

  4. 4

    Cleaned up on merge

    Delete the branch and its environment is removed. Stale previews do not pile up.

    environment removed

ONE ENVIRONMENT PER BRANCHmainfeature/searchfix/totals · mergedfeature/checkoutsearch-shop.light-cloud.iototals-shop.light-cloud.ioshop.light-cloud.io · maincheckout-shop.light-cloud.io

Environments

One environment per branch.

An application can have many environments, one for each branch you connect. Each is a full copy of the setup, not a shared staging box.

  • Its own URL, built from that branch and nothing else.
  • Its own build settings, so a branch can try a different build without touching production.
  • Its own environment variables.
  • Production is marked and protected. The rest are yours to spin up and throw away.

Included

What comes with every preview.

Password protected

Every preview sits behind a password, so a review link is safe to share without exposing unfinished work.

A URL per branch

Every branch gets its own environment with its own address, built from that branch and nothing else.

Built on push

Open a pull request and the preview builds automatically, so reviewers click a link instead of pulling the branch.

Cleaned up on merge

Delete the branch and its environment is removed. Stale previews do not pile up.

Production is protected

The production environment is separate and is not touched by branch activity.

Idle previews cost nothing

Container previews scale to zero when no one is using them, so you are not paying for review apps overnight.

The same build

A preview is built the same way production is, so what a reviewer sees is what ships.

Defaults

Set it once.

Both are on by default. Turn them off per application if you want to control when previews come and go.

  • Auto-deploy on pushEvery push to a connected branch builds and deploys its environment.on
  • Remove stale environmentsWhen a branch is deleted, its environment goes with it.on

Ship your next branch as a preview

Connect a repository and open a pull request. The preview builds itself.