How to deploy an app with Cloudgate
From the tool you pay for today to a free, open-source app doing the same job on a server of your own. You do not need a server to start or any technical knowledge. Here is what happens at each step.
What happens when you deploy an app?
Choose an app, then four steps and a few minutes of your time. Cloudgate does the technical part.
- Step 1
Choose an app
Search for the tool you pay for today. Search for Zapier and you find n8n, which does the same job. Every app here is open source and free to use.
- Step 2
Click Deploy and create your account
Deploy takes you to Cloudgate. Create an account, or log in if you have one. The app itself is free.
- Step 3
Choose a server
No server? Pick a size and a country, and Cloudgate provides one and gets it ready. Already rent a server? Connect it instead.
- Step 4
Cloudgate sets up n8n
Cloudgate gets the server ready, makes the passwords and keys n8n needs, and starts it. There is nothing to install, nothing to invent and nothing to write down.
Run Cloudgate yourself? In your own console, Cloudgate lists everything it will create first, and nothing happens until you press Apply.
- Step 5
Open your app and sign in
Your app starts on a free web address, which uses plain http. Add your own, like crm.yourshop.com, and Cloudgate gets the https certificate for you once your domain points at the server.
Until you add your own domain, the app works on its free address, without https.
Common questions
Do I need to know anything technical?
No. Cloudgate does the technical setup and you use the app in your browser, like any online tool. Some apps need a few minutes of setup inside the app once it is running; their page here marks them “Some setup”.
Do I need my own server?
No. When you deploy, hosted Cloudgate can provide a server. If you already rent one running Ubuntu or Debian, you can connect it instead, and one server can run several apps.
What does it cost?
The apps are free. To run them you need Cloudgate and a server. Use hosted Cloudgate, which can also provide the server, or install Cloudgate on a server of your own for free. Cloudgate's plans and prices are at cloudgate.octabyte.io/pricing.
Will my apps update by themselves?
No. Cloudgate never updates an app on its own, and an app set up from this site does not change when its page here does. It stays on the version it was set up with until someone on your team changes it and deploys again. Take a backup before you change versions.
Can I use my own web address?
Yes. Type it when you deploy, or add it later, then add one record where you bought your domain so the name points at your server. Cloudgate gets the https certificate for you. Until then the app works on a free temporary address, without https.
I already run Cloudgate. Can I deploy from my own console?
Yes. Every app here is on your console’s Templates screen. Each app page also has a link that opens it in your console directly. In your own console, Cloudgate lists everything it will create first, and nothing happens until you press Apply.
Ready to replace a tool you pay for?
Find the app that does the same job and click Deploy. Cloudgate does the rest.
Backups, teams and everything else Cloudgate does once your app is running are on Cloudgate's features page. Prefer to run it all yourself? Install Cloudgate on your own server for free.