Customizing OpenShift’s Web-based App Creation Workflow

OpenShift offers a slick new workflow for launching Linux environments that can be automatically configured to host and scale your open source project.

You can dramatically simplify your project’s onboarding experience by providing prospective community members with a URL, leading them into OpenShift’s guided web workflow.

Development, hosting, and scaling tasks can all be streamlined by leveraging open source technologies. Get your community moving with the information in this post!

Crafting Workflow URLs

These workflow URLs must include your project’s repository address and list of service dependencies, amung other details:

• workflow host: Provide a link to OpenShift Online, or to your own OpenShift cloud. For OpenShift Online, use https://openshift.redhat.com
• workflow path: /app/console/application_types/custom
• querystring parameters:
  • cartridges[]: At least one cartridges[] value is required in order to select the primary language runtime for the application. My example application source expects nodejs-0.10, which will automatically takes advantage of npm integration via the project’s package.json file
  • cartridges[]: To load additional service dependencies, the cartridges[] parameter can be included multiple times. My example shows how to include support for the postgresql-9.2 service cartridge
  • initial_git_url: a urlencoded repository url, pointing to an OpenShift-compatible git project repo – such as: https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com/ryanj/restify-postGIS.git
  • name: suggest a short name for the application. I named my application parks

The completed URL for my ‘parks’ example application looks like this:

https://openshift.redhat.com/app/console/application_types/custom?cartridges[]=nodejs-0.10&cartridges[]=postgresql-9.2&initial_git_url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com/ryanj/restify-postGIS.git&name=parks

The above workflow URL contains all of the basic information needed for hosting on OpenShift, allowing new users to automatically advance to step two of the app creation process.

DONE!

When a user reaches the end of the workflow they will be presented with a live URL, providing instant access to their freshly-deployed application. An OpenShift-hosted git URL will also be made available, offering a convenient way to update the project via git-based deployments.

Further information on how to make changes to the application, and how to manage hosting and scaling policies are outlined at the end of the workflow.

Make sure to document your app creation URL in your project’s README file for others to follow.

Next Steps

• Find out if your Nodejs application is OpenShift-compatible
• Get an OpenShift account and host your web apps on the Free Plan today
• Promote your awesome app in the OpenShift Application Gallery by applying today.
• Expose this workflow in your open source projects by including a GitHub-style Ribbon
• Ask an OpenShift question and get help on StackOverflow
• Join the OpenShift Community on G+ today

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