art with code

2012-04-30

Hosting static web pages on App Engine


http://github.com/kig/app-engine-demo-static

How to host your website on Google App Engine:
1. Sign up to http://appengine.google.com
2. Create a new application (I named mine webtest-12345).
3. Install the Python SDK https://developers.google.com/appengine/downloads
4. Create a new directory with an app.yaml file like this:
   https://github.com/kig/app-engine-demo-static/blob/master/app.yaml
   (replace webtest-12345 with the name of your app).
5. Create a subdir www/ and put your site there, remember to have index.html.
6. Start the Google App Engine Launcher and do "Add Existing Application...",
   pointing it to the directory with the app.yaml file.
7. Test locally.
8. When happy, click deploy.
9. Done! (Check it out: http://webtest-12345.appspot.com/)

If you want to have a more automatic experience, here's a small script:

  export MY_APP_NAME=your-app-name-here;
  git clone https://github.com/kig/app-engine-demo-static.git;
  cd app-engine-demo-static;
  sed -e "s/webtest-12345/$MY_APP_NAME/" -i '' app.yaml;
  appcfg.py update .

To host the site from your own domain:
1. Go to the Application Dashboard (easiest way is to click the Dashboard
   button in App Engine Launcher)
2. Go to Administration > Application Settings.
3. Go to Domain Setup and click on Add Domain...
4. If you're on Google Apps, enter your domain.
5. Otherwise click on "Sign up to Google Apps"
  5.1. Enter your details and optionally register your domain.
  5.2. Go through the rest of the sign up process.
  5.3. Create your website app with your new Google Apps account
       following the instructions above. Or juggle accounts (you need to be
       logged in to Google App Engine to add the app to your domain and you
       need to be logged in to Apps to accept the addition.)
  5.4. Done? Ok, let's continue!
6. Click the "Yes I want to add this app to my domain"-button.
7. Now you're on the Apps app settings page. Click on "Add new URL",
   enter www and click "Add".
8. If you registered your domain via Google Apps:
   Go to go to "Domain Settings" > "Domain Names" > "Redirect your naked domain"
   Continue >> I've completed these steps >> Save Changes
   (You don't need to change any settings at the DNS, they're all
    correct already)
8.1 Otherwise log into your DNS service provider and
   add a CNAME record from www.YOURDOMAINNAME to ghs.google.com and
   do the "Redirect your naked domain" bit above and in your DNS add
   the four A records for YOURDOMAINNAME. Click Save Changes on the
   Google Apps page.
9. Done! (http://webtest-12345.com)

Wait for a couple minutes for all the DNS changes to settle.

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