Heroku deployment in Ruby on Rails - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Heroku deployment

Prepare Rails app

↓

Create Git repo

↓

Login to Heroku CLI

↓

Create Heroku app

↓

Add Heroku remote to Git

↓

Push code to Heroku

↓

Heroku builds and deploys

↓

App runs on Heroku server

This flow shows the steps to deploy a Rails app to Heroku, from preparing code to running live.

Execution Sample

Ruby on Rails

git init
heroku login
heroku create myapp
git push heroku main
heroku run rails db:migrate

This code initializes git, logs into Heroku, creates an app, pushes code, and runs database migrations.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Command/Process	Result/Output
1	Initialize Git repository	git init	Git repo created locally
2	Login to Heroku	heroku login	User authenticated with Heroku
3	Create Heroku app	heroku create myapp	Heroku app 'myapp' created with URL
4	Add Heroku remote	git remote add heroku https://git.heroku.com/myapp.git	Heroku remote linked to Git
5	Push code to Heroku	git push heroku main	Code pushed; Heroku builds and deploys app
6	Run database migrations	heroku run rails db:migrate	Database schema updated on Heroku
7	Open app in browser	heroku open	App runs live on Heroku server
Exit	Deployment complete	-	App is live and ready to use

💡 All steps completed successfully; app deployed and running on Heroku

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 3	After Step 5	Final
Git repo	Not initialized	Initialized	Code pushed to Heroku	Code on Heroku remote
Heroku app	None	Created 'myapp'	App built and deployed	App running live
Database schema	Local only	Local only	Migrated on Heroku	Up to date on Heroku

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do we need to run 'heroku run rails db:migrate' after pushing code?

Because the database on Heroku is separate and needs schema updates; see execution_table step 6.

What happens if you forget to add the Heroku remote before pushing?

Git won't know where to push the code; step 4 shows linking remote is required before step 5.

Why do we use 'git push heroku main' instead of just 'git push'?

Because 'heroku' is a special remote for deployment; pushing to it triggers Heroku build and deploy (step 5).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what command creates the Heroku app?

A git init

B git push heroku main

C heroku create myapp

D heroku run rails db:migrate

💡 Hint

Check step 3 in the execution_table where the app is created.

At which step is the code actually sent to Heroku servers?

A Step 4

B Step 5

C Step 2

D Step 6

💡 Hint

Look for 'git push heroku main' in the execution_table.

If you skip running 'heroku run rails db:migrate', what happens?

A Database schema on Heroku will be outdated

B Git remote will be missing

C App will not build

D Heroku app won't be created

💡 Hint

See step 6 in execution_table about database migrations.

Concept Snapshot

Heroku Deployment for Rails:
1. Initialize Git repo with 'git init'.
2. Login to Heroku CLI using 'heroku login'.
3. Create app with 'heroku create appname'.
4. Add Heroku remote to Git.
5. Push code using 'git push heroku main'.
6. Run 'heroku run rails db:migrate' to update database.
7. App runs live on Heroku URL.

Full Transcript

Deploying a Rails app to Heroku involves several clear steps. First, you prepare your Rails app and initialize a Git repository locally. Then, you log in to Heroku using the Heroku CLI. Next, you create a new Heroku app which gives you a unique URL and Git remote. You add this remote to your local Git configuration. After that, you push your code to Heroku using 'git push heroku main', which triggers Heroku to build and deploy your app. Since the database on Heroku is separate, you run migrations there with 'heroku run rails db:migrate'. Finally, your app is live and accessible on the web. Each step builds on the previous, ensuring your app is properly deployed and ready for users.