**Course Title:** Ruby Programming: From Basics to Advanced Techniques **Section Title:** Deployment and Best Practices **Topic:** Deploy the Rails application to a cloud platform.(Lab topic) **Objective:** In this lab, you will learn how to deploy a Rails application to a cloud platform, specifically to Heroku, a popular Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provider. By the end of this lab, you will be able to deploy a Rails application to Heroku and understand the underlying concepts of cloud deployment. **Prerequisites:** Before you start this lab, make sure you have: * A working Rails application (e.g., the one you created in the previous lab) * A Heroku account (sign up for free at [www.heroku.com](http://www.heroku.com)) * The Heroku CLI installed on your machine (follow the instructions at [https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-cli](https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-cli)) **Step 1: Create a new Heroku app** 1. Log in to your Heroku account and navigate to the dashboard. 2. Click on the "New" button and select "Create new app". 3. Choose a name for your app and select the region closest to you. 4. Click on the "Create app" button. **Step 2: Initialize a Git repository** 1. Open your terminal and navigate to the root directory of your Rails application. 2. Initialize a new Git repository by running the command `git init`. 3. Add all files to the repository by running `git add .`. 4. Commit the changes by running `git commit -m "Initial commit"`. **Step 3: Link your Heroku app to your Git repository** 1. Run the command `heroku git:remote -a <app_name>` to link your Heroku app to your Git repository. 2. Replace `<app_name>` with the name of your Heroku app. **Step 4: Configure the Heroku buildpack** 1. Run the command `heroku buildpacks:set heroku/ruby` to set the Ruby buildpack for your app. **Step 5: Deploy your app to Heroku** 1. Run the command `git push heroku main` to deploy your app to Heroku. 2. Heroku will automatically detect the changes and deploy your app. **Step 6: Verify the deployment** 1. Run the command `heroku open` to open your app in the browser. 2. Verify that your app is working correctly. **Key Concepts:** * **Cloud deployment**: Cloud deployment involves deploying an application to a cloud-based infrastructure, such as Heroku. * **Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)**: PaaS providers, such as Heroku, manage the infrastructure and provide a platform for deploying applications. * **Heroku CLI**: The Heroku CLI is a command-line tool for interacting with Heroku. * **Git repository**: A Git repository is a central location for storing and managing code. **Best Practices:** * **Use a version control system**: Use a version control system, such as Git, to manage your code. * **Use a cloud platform**: Use a cloud platform, such as Heroku, to deploy your app. * **Test your app**: Test your app thoroughly before deploying it to production. **Practical Takeaways:** * Deploying a Rails application to a cloud platform, such as Heroku, is a straightforward process. * Using a cloud platform provides scalability and reliability. * Using a version control system, such as Git, helps manage code changes. **Leave a comment or ask for help:** If you have any questions or need help with the lab, please leave a comment below. Our instructors will be happy to assist you. Next topic: **Project presentations: sharing final projects and code walkthroughs.**