Deployment

Publish flow

When your app is ready, click Publish from the workflow view or editor. AppCafe builds the current project state, deploys it, and returns a live URL.

Publishing is the moment where your project becomes the live version people can open and share.

Preview deployments versus production

Preview deployments

Preview deployments are for testing. Use them to validate:

• layout changes
• copy updates
• image replacements
• editor changes before release

Preview links are ideal for internal review and iteration.

Production deployments

Production deployments are your public release. This is the version you share with customers, teammates, or end users.

Publish to production when you are confident in:

• page structure
• core content
• forms and calls to action
• branding and visual quality
• generated admin access details

Generated admin access in preview and after publish

Every generated site receives one generated admin account. As soon as generation finishes, open the workflow's Admin Access panel or App Settings in AppCafe to see:

• the generated admin email
• the current generated admin password, if it has not been changed yet
• the preview admin link
• whether preview auto-login is still active

After publishing, AppCafe also adds the permanent live admin URL and live admin status.

Important behavior:

1. The generated admin email is immutable.
2. The generated admin password is intended for the site owner only.
3. Preview can sign in automatically while that generated password is still active.
4. If the owner changes the password inside the generated dashboard, the AppCafe copy is hidden and preview auto-login turns off.
5. If needed, you can reset or regenerate a new generated password from App Settings.

Where the site owner signs in

For generated sites, the sign-in flow is:

1. During preview, open the workflow's preview admin link. While the generated password is still active, AppCafe signs in automatically.
2. For the published site, open the generated site's /auth or /login page.
3. Sign in with the generated admin email and current generated password.
4. Enter the site's /admin dashboard.
5. If desired, change the password later from the built-in account settings page.

Inside the built-in admin area, the site owner can review forms and site data that the generated app already supports.

Updating an already published app

You do not need to start from scratch every time.

Common post-publish flows:

• edit the app and publish again
• update copy, colors, or layout in the editor
• regenerate images and republish
• reset generated admin access if the owner loses the temporary credentials

Treat publishing as an iterative release cycle, not a one-time event.

Gallery submissions

Published apps can be submitted to the AppCafe Gallery for public showcasing.

To submit a project:

1. Open project settings.
2. Choose Submit to Gallery.
3. Add the requested description and category details.
4. Wait for review and approval.

Custom domains

Every published app receives an AppCafe-hosted URL by default.

If your plan includes custom domains, you can connect your own domain or subdomain from the deployment settings. Domain activation can take a short time while DNS changes propagate, but AppCafe continues to show deployment status so you can track progress.

Recommended release checklist

Before you publish, confirm that:

• the latest preview matches your intent
• important forms submit correctly
• navigation works on desktop and mobile
• any generated admin credentials are stored securely
• you know who will own the generated admin account and whether they plan to change that password inside the dashboard