cartwright
Getting startedFrom code to live

From code to live

The complete path from a scaffolded shop on your laptop to a live store on the internet — using GitHub and Vercel, the free stack you own.

You ran npx create-cartwright and you have a shop on your computer. This guide takes you the rest of the way: onto GitHub, connected to Vercel, and live on the internet — with a workflow you can use forever to change your shop safely.

It's written for people who have never used GitHub or the command line. Every step has two tabs: Uden terminal (point-and-click, no typing commands) and Med terminal (for when you want the command-line way). Pick whichever you like — they end in the same place.

What are these three things?

  • Cartwright — your shop's code, already on your laptop.
  • GitHub — a free home on the internet for that code. It remembers every version, so you can always undo. Think of it as Google Drive for code, plus a time machine.
  • Vercel — a free service that takes the code from GitHub and turns it into a real website. Push a change to GitHub → Vercel rebuilds your live shop automatically.

GitHub and Vercel both have a free plan that never expires, and you own everything. No monthly rent, no lock-in.

The journey

1 · Get on GitHub

Create a free account and install the one app you need.

2 · Publish your shop

Put your scaffolded code into a private GitHub repository.

3 · Connect Vercel

Import the repo into Vercel and get your first live URL.

4 · The everyday loop

Change something → preview it safely → publish. The skill you keep.

5 · Sign in with GitHub (optional)

Add a 'Continue with GitHub' button to your shop's login.

The whole flow at a glance

  1. Scaffold — npx create-cartwright (done — your shop is on your laptop).

  2. Publish to GitHub — your code gets a safe home with full history.

  3. Connect to Vercel — Vercel watches your GitHub repo.

  4. Set your keys — database + secrets go into Vercel (once).

  5. First deploy — Vercel builds your shop and gives you a live URL.

  6. The loop, forever — edit → save a version → preview it on its own URL → publish to your real site. Nothing risky ever touches the live shop until you say so.

  7. Your own domain — point yourshop.com at it.

Already comfortable with Git and Vercel? You can skip straight to Deployment → Vercel and Custom domain. This guide exists so that nobody gets stuck between "scaffolded" and "live".

Ready? Start with Step 1 — Get on GitHub.

Sign in for the first time

Create the admin, find your password, and log into /admin — for any setup path (CLI, IDE agent, or a manual clone).

1 · Get on GitHub

Create a free GitHub account and install the one tool that puts your shop online.

On this page

The journeyThe whole flow at a glance