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 after publish

Every generated site receives one generated admin account. After publishing, open App Settings in AppCafe to see:

• the generated admin email
• the current temporary password, if it has not been rotated yet
• whether the live admin account exists
• whether the password still needs to be changed

Important behavior:

1. The generated admin email is immutable.
2. The temporary password is intended for the site owner only.
3. The first successful login requires a password change.
4. After that password change, the temporary password is hidden.
5. If needed, you can reset or regenerate a new temporary password from App Settings.

Where the site owner signs in

For generated sites, the sign-in flow is:

1. Open the generated site's /auth or /login page.
2. Sign in with the generated admin email and temporary password.
3. Complete the required password change.
4. Enter the site's /admin dashboard.

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 first admin login and password change