Navigation
ELOWEN · Documentation

Last updated: October 20, 2026

Browse documentation · Publish an application from a Project
Workspace

Publish an application from a Project

Make a running web application in a managed Project or paired-computer Project reachable through a Sites address. Sites forwards requests to the application; it does not copy files, build the application, or start its service. The Sites plugin must be installed and enabled, and you need permission to publish on this instance and access to the Project. Host Projects cannot publish applications.

Before you publish

  1. Select the managed or paired-computer Project that runs the application.
  2. Start the application in that Project and note its listening TCP port. It must listen on 127.0.0.1 inside the Project environment.
  3. Check that the application responds on that port before creating a Site.

A stopped service does not become available just because you publish its address. Application files, logs, and lifecycle remain part of the Project.

Publish and check the address

  1. Ask Elowen to create a Site for the running application, providing a title and its port. Choose an initial visibility if appropriate; new Sites otherwise use the instance default.
  2. Ask Elowen to publish that Site. In the Sites plugin screen, select the Site if you want to inspect its details.
  3. Confirm the Site address is shown and its status is live. Open it to check the real application response. A missing address can mean the instance's Sites domain is not ready.
  4. If the application needs time or returns an error, fix it in the Project and publish again.

Publication verifies the application through the same transport visitors use; an application response with an unhealthy server error is not accepted. The address is only made live after verification. An application may answer differently based on its hostname, so check the published address itself.

When publication fails

If nothing answers, make sure the service is running in the selected Project and listening on the port you supplied. A wrong port or a service bound only to a different interface will fail verification. If the application returns a server error, inspect its own logs and repair it before retrying. Sites does not silently start or rebuild it.

For an offline paired computer, reconnect its Elowen client; the published address cannot reach a stopped or disconnected application. If an address is in maintenance, select the Project containing the replacement application and provide its port when publishing. Retained files are not copied automatically.

See Projects, Environments & GitHub for Project types and access, and Who can open your website for visitor permissions.