Module 10 — Ship it: versioning, deployment, hosting and launch
Shipping is a habit, not an event: save every change with Git, let every push deploy a preview, promote to production only when the checklist passes, then put the app in front of customers with your go-to-market plan.
Lesson 10.1 — Git versioning in five words
| Term | Meaning | Analogy |
|---|---|---|
| Repository (repo) | Your project's folder plus its full history | A photo album of every version |
| Commit | A saved snapshot with a message | One photo with a caption |
| Branch | A parallel copy for trying something | A draft you can throw away |
| Pull request (PR) | A request to merge a branch, with review | Asking an editor to approve changes |
| Push / pull | Upload to / download from GitHub | Syncing to the cloud |
You rarely type Git commands yourself — ask the agent: "Commit these changes with a clear message and push to a new branch called feature/pricing." Rule: commit after every working step. If the agent breaks something, you can roll back in seconds.
Lesson 10.2 — Deployment and hosting
- Connect your GitHub repo to Vercel once.
- Add environment variables (API keys) in Vercel's project settings — never in code.
- Every push to a branch creates a preview URL; test there.
- Merging to
maindeploys to production. - Connect your domain (e.g. GoDaddy or Cloudflare DNS pointing to Vercel).
- If production breaks, use instant rollback to the last good deployment.
Lesson 10.3 — Pre-launch checklist
- All PRD user stories pass on the production URL
- Sign-up, sign-in, sign-out and password reset work
- Stripe in live mode; test purchase, refund and cancel
- Stripe webhook verified and updating the database
- Row-level security on for every Supabase table
- No secrets in the repo; all keys in environment variables
- AI spend limits set in the AI Gateway or provider console
- Privacy policy, terms of service, cookie notice
- Analytics and error monitoring installed
- Mobile layout checked on a real phone
- Backups on for the database
Lesson 10.4 — Launch with your go-to-market plan
Use document #11 from Module 8. A first launch needs only four things: one clear promise on the landing page, one pricing plan, one channel you'll show up on every day (LinkedIn, YouTube, X, a newsletter or communities), and a way to talk to your first 10 users personally. Ship, listen, improve weekly.
Exercise: deploy your capstone to a live URL, run the pre-launch checklist, and post a 60-second demo video on one channel.
Check yourself:
- What's the difference between a preview and a production deployment?
- Why commit after every working step?
- Name three items on the pre-launch checklist that protect your users' data.