# Deploying your Node.js app on Heroku using Github

Won't it be wonderful to show the world something you've created so they can interact with it as opposed to just running that amazing application on your computer?

In this demo, we will be looking at how to deploy your Node.js app to Heroku, leveraging on the app built in my previous article  [How to send emails in your Node.js app using Nodemailer and Mailtrap](https://murewaashiru.hashnode.dev/how-to-send-emails-in-your-nodejs-app-using-nodemailer-and-mailtrap-ckd7v0vdz00odses1esxc38fu). 
By the end of this demo, we will have our email sending app running on a public domain that can be accessed by anyone.


## Pre-requisite
1.  [Github ](https://github.com) account
2.  [Heroku ](https://heroku.com/) account
3. Node.js application

Now that that's set-up. Let's get to it.

 **Step 1: Create your Node.js application **

Refer to [How to send emails in your Node.js app using Nodemailer and Mailtrap](https://murewaashiru.hashnode.dev/how-to-send-emails-in-your-nodejs-app-using-nodemailer-and-mailtrap-ckd7v0vdz00odses1esxc38fu)

Let's add create **Procfile ** file in the root directory and paste the code below:

```npm start``` 

The Procfile specifies the commands that are executed by the app on startup and is an **important **requirement for Heroku. Learn more about Procfile [here](https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/procfile) 

 **Step 2: Push your code to Github **

Let’s create a Repository on GitHub by clicking New Repository and following the prompt.

In the command prompt, run the following commands sequentially.


1. Initialize the Git repository at the root level: ```git init``` 
2. Add all the files to your local Git repo:  ```git add . ```
3. Commit your changes to your local Git:```git commit -m “Initial commit”```
4. Link to your GitHub repository: ```git remote add origin <URL>``` 
5. And push your change:```git push origin master``` 

You should see messages like below at the command prompt.
![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1601386378756/xACTLzifq.png)

Refresh your Github repo. You should be able to see your code.

 **Step 3: Deploy to Heroku **

Create a Heroku account if you haven't done so.


1) Create a new application and give it a name. The name will be included in the URL.

You will be redirected to the dashboard of your app.

2) Connect your app to your repo

Open the **Deploy **tab and go to the **Deployment method** section.

Click on **Github**

Type your repo name and click on the *Search *button. You don't have to enter the full name.

When the result is displayed, click on the *Connect *button against the repo you just created.

![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1601387074845/I5jCPIEMp.png)

3) Deploy your app

Scroll down to the **Manual deploy** section and click on the *Deploy Branch* button against the master branch (choose the branch to deploy).

![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1601389710934/XAoQvzs0g.png)
If you click on the *View* button, the app will crash because we have environment variables that have not been set.

4) Add the configuration variables

Go to the **Settings** tab.

Click on the *Reveal Config Vars* button.

Copy the values in your .env file and paste the key-value pair as applicable.

![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1601391639093/mKUiY-X7E.png)

Take note of your domain in the *domain *section.


5) Papertrail for logging (Optional)
Papertrail is a cloud-hosted log management tool for faster troubleshooting of infrastructure and application issues. It's a fantastic alternative to the default Heroku log solution.

Go to the **Resources** tab.

Search for PaperTrail add-on and click on the *Provision* button.

![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1601390301285/el8q5NjqH.png)


![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1601395928060/QkI7FP9eA.png)

Your app is all good to go. Head over to postman and test your app.

Now that you've learned how to deploy a Node.js app to Heroku, you can try it in your project.

You can also check out the full source code  [here](https://github.com/murewaashiru/sending_mails_with_node.js_and_mailtrap.io) 


> If you like this article, feel free to comment and share. You can also reach out to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rachael_xx) | [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/murewageorge-ashiru/) | [Github](https://github.com/murewaashiru)

> Ciao👋🏼