From a251fbdadbc1c542b79aa68dea73d2e0a98e0dca Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jake Howard Date: Mon, 16 May 2016 13:20:30 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Update readme --- README.md | 14 ++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 14 insertions(+) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 20e6257..d3a1a9e 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -1,2 +1,16 @@ # host-container Container to host simple static applications using a node server, so files can be deployed using rsync + +## Why is this a thing? +When hosting static applications on my server, it makes life a lot easier if they are run in container-like environments, so I can start and stop the server from the command line, seperately from any other hosted services. This works great for services like Django-applications, but for simpler apps like static-sites, this isnt great. + +One of the key reasons I want this is because it means I can push static data to the server using a tool like rsync, instead of using some janky ssh library to run the clone and setup commands on the server. + +### So how does it work? + +The hosting and switching itself is done using a private, closed-source tool. I can't go into detail, but it accepts commands to run from a proc file. In this project, this proc file contains an entry to run the `server.js` file with node, which contains the server. + +The server then serves the directory `site/` on whatever port it has been given. This means when I push data to the directory, the data will be instantly available to the web server with no need to restart or reconfigure. + +### _"So, can I use it?"_ +Sure, if this solution suits your needs, although It's unlikey to, seeing as this is a very niche problem. The exact ways this service works are unlikely to change, due to the fact it fits my needs perfectly, but any improvements are always welcome!