Deploy & domains
Video coming soon
The deploy walkthrough video is on the way. In the meantime, this lesson covers the Ship group end to end: deploy your frontend, review deployments, set variables, and connect a custom domain.
Once your app works, it's time to ship it. Everything frontend-facing lives under the Ship → Frontend section, split into four sub-items: Overview, Deployments, Variables, and Domains. This lesson walks through each one.
Deploy your frontend
Your app is served on a free *.dypai.app subdomain. From Ship → Frontend → Overview you can see the live site URL, a device preview, a deploy button, a ZIP download, the GitHub link, and a usage bar.
Open Ship → Frontend
In your project sidebar, expand Ship → Frontend and stay on the Overview tab. You'll see your site URL on *.dypai.app and a live preview.
Deploy
Trigger a deploy from the overview (or publish from Studio / your AI client). HeroMate builds the frontend and serves it from the subdomain — share that URL with anyone right away.
Check it's live
Open the *.dypai.app URL and confirm the app loads. Your deployed app stays live regardless of your AI Credit balance — credits only cover build/edit work, never running apps.
Deployments & rollback
Every deploy is saved. The Deployments sub-item (route /deployments) — distinct from the Frontend overview — lists your past builds with their logs, so you can review what shipped and roll back to an earlier version in one click if something breaks.
Full history & rollback are a Pro feature
Full deploy history and 1-click rollback are part of the Pro plan. On Free you can deploy to your subdomain, but the long history and rollback live with Pro.
Variables: Backend Secrets vs Frontend build vars
The Variables tab (route /variables) has two tabs — and the difference matters for security:
- Backend Secrets (the default tab) — encrypted runtime secrets by name (Fernet, per-project). They're write-only and never shipped to the browser. Reference them in your workflows and endpoints as
ctx.secrets.Xor${ secrets.X }. This is where API keys and tokens belong. - Frontend (Build) — public build-time variables baked into the client bundle. Anything here ships to the browser, so use it only for non-secret values (a public site name, a feature flag).
Never put secrets in Frontend (Build)
Frontend build vars end up inside the client bundle and are visible to anyone. Real secrets — API keys, signing secrets — go in Backend Secrets and are read server-side via ctx.secrets.X. See Backend Secrets.
Connect a custom domain
By default your app lives on *.dypai.app. To use your own domain with SSL, open Ship → Frontend → Domains and add it. Custom domains require the Pro plan (Free is subdomain-only).
Upgrade to Pro (if needed)
Custom domains and SSL are a Pro feature. On Free your app stays on its *.dypai.app subdomain.
Add your domain
In Ship → Frontend → Domains, enter the domain you own and follow the DNS instructions HeroMate shows you. SSL is provisioned automatically for the exact domain you add.
Add both apex and www
Adding the apex (example.com) does not automatically attach www.example.com, and vice-versa. If you want both to resolve, add both entries.
Verify it resolves
Wait for DNS to propagate, then open your domain. Once verified, the certificate covers the exact domain you added.
apex ≠ www
Each form is independent: the apex and the www subdomain are separate entries. Add both if you want visitors to reach your site at either address.
Buying a domain is coming soon
The Domains tab has a search dialog where you can look up domains, but in-app purchase is "coming soon" (gated until billing is wired). For now, register your domain elsewhere and connect it here.
What you'll learn
- Deploying your frontend to its
*.dypai.appsubdomain - Reviewing Deployments and using 1-click rollback (a Pro feature)
- The two Variables tabs — Backend Secrets (encrypted,
ctx.secrets.X) vs Frontend build vars (public) - Connecting a custom domain with SSL on Pro, including the apex/www gotcha
- That deployed apps stay live regardless of your AI Credit balance