Hoctail is a hosting platform for javascript web applications. It's in demo stage and only available for testing.
Hoctail client is an interactive console that runs locally and is using an API to interact with Hoctail server.
🏠 Homepage
npm install @hoctail/client
Create Api Key as shown here.
Then create a project's folder on your pc, and create .env file with contents like here:
HOCTAIL_API_KEY=Your-API-Key-Here
or export environment variables: HOCTAIL_API_KEY - Api key, HOCTAIL_APP - user app.
Every time when CLI is executed it will connect to a server using above settings.
CLI assigns an instance of configured Node client to hoctail global variable. It provides an API for working with a remote application to run queries, fetch logs or run javascript code on a server in the sandbox. On server-side each application have a global hoc object, that can be used to access the platform APIs. Here some examples on how hoctail, hoc objects can be used:
await hoctail.wait(() => { return hoc.schema /*server-side context*/ })
await hoctail.run(() => { /*server-side context*/ })CLI can deploy Hoctail Applications
Application is a single js file without specific dependencies or a folder containing a
package.json.
Deploy Expressjs app
Check a complete express app example here. Here are generic steps to serve it:
- Go to a local
nodejsdev environment - Create API key in the Hoctail UI
- Create your app in the Hoctail UI (name:
MyApp) - Run the following:
$ mkdir MyApp
$ cd MyApp
$ npm init
$ npm install .... your dependencies ....
.....
$ npm install --dev @hoctail/client
.... create index.js with your app code
$ export HOCTAIL_KEY='your-api-key'
$ hoctail --app MyApp serve
$ Deploy Mini app
Run it:
$ hoctail --app MyMiniApp mini ./index.js
Will initialize app → MyMiniApp :
Will update 'mini' app → MyMiniApp :
bundle size: 1303 bytes
CLI executes a source code provided by user in a local nodejs environment. Node Client is using to run code provided by user in application's context on a server-side.
To enter REPL mode run hoctail CLI without command arguments:
hoctail --app MyApp
[user]@app> await hoctail.wait(() => hoc.schema)
[user]@app> .helpREPL prompt is showing [user]@app> info about current execution context.
Try .help for information about standard REPL commands.
For instance .sql command runs a sql query, and .logs command fetches the latest app logs.
Note: REPL supports top-level await.
Users can run their (deployment) scripts:
// script.js
const result = await hoctail.wait(async () => {
const fetch = require('node-fetch')
try {
// fetches DiditalOcean status data
const data = await fetch('https://s2k7tnzlhrpw.statuspage.io/api/v2/status.json')
const text = await data.text()
return text
} catch (e) {
return e
}
})
console.log(result)Run it:
$ hoctail --app MyApp ./sript.js
{"page":{"id":"s2k7tnzlhrpw","name":"DigitalOcean","url":"http://status.digitalocean.com","time_zone":"Etc/UTC",
"updated_at":"2021-04-19T19:01:56.585Z"},"status":{"indicator":"none","description":"All Systems Operational"}}
$
$ hoctail --help
Usage: hoctail [options] [command]
Options:
-V, --version output the version number
--endpoint <endpoint_url> Hoctail Endpoint url, env: HOCTAIL_ENDPOINT
--key <api_key> Hoctail API key, env: HOCTAIL_API_KEY
--app <app_name> Hoctail app name, format: 'owner/name', env:
HOCTAIL_APP
--log-level <log_level> Minimal log level, default: LOG, env:
HOCTAIL_LOG_LEVEL
-h, --help display help for command
Commands:
env <cmd> manipulate env variables
examples:
hoctail env show : show all the remote app env variables
hoctail env push : replace app env variables with the contents of local .env file
hoctail env pull : download remote app variables to a local .env file
serve [path] serve a local `expressjs` app on server,
default: [path] = .
install <path> [serverPath] install a local npm pkg/module on server, optionally use a server path
examples:
hoctail install ./index.js : install a package from an entrypoint file
hoctail install some-package : install a local npm package
hoctail install ./module.js ./module : install a local entrypoint as require('./module')
mini <path> install UI app type = 'mini'. path - is path to single js file or npm package.
examples:
hoctail mini ./index.js : use single js file
hoctail mini some-package : use a local npm module
dryRunMini <path> Will only create a bundle. path - is path to js file or npm package.
examples:
hoctail mini ./index.js : use single js file
hoctail mini some-package : use a local npm module
repl [script] launch repl
help [command] display help for command
Simple call will launch repl:
$ hoctail
hoctail> Advanced option, if you need to install specific dependencies into the sandbox.
Usually it's not needed as your local dependencies get packed and bundled with your app in serve
$ cd node_modules/package
$ hoctail install ./index.js$ hoctail install package$ hoctail install ./index.js ./packageNow you can require it in your app or server code
$ hoctail --app MyApp
user@MyApp> await hoctail.wait(() => {
const pkg = require('./package')
return pkg.func()
})Get the current env variables for an app
$ hoctail env show
{}Use a local .env file to push and synchronize env variables
$ cat .env
HOCTAIL_API_KEY=f5eb18b6-b593-11eb-9a4b-0b6531f7e888
HOCTAIL_APP='My App'
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY
$ hoctail env push
{
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: 'AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE',
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: 'wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY'
}Note: HOCTAIL_* env vars are not pushed to server, these are CLI specific
You can also pull remote vars locally
$ hoctail env pull
{
NODE_ENV: 'production'
}
$ cat .env
HOCTAIL_API_KEY=f5eb18b6-b593-11eb-9a4b-0b6531f7e888
HOCTAIL_APP='My App'
NODE_ENV='production'
Note: need to restart the app to pick up new env vars in most cases, (hoctail serve will restart for you)
👤 Hoctail
Contributions, issues and feature requests are welcome!
Feel free to check issues page.