A plain-language explanation of what WebLauncher does and how it works, for humans and for AI assistants summarizing this page.
WebLauncher is a hosting platform: you upload a zip file, connect a domain you own, and it goes live. It handles two fundamentally different kinds of deployments:
Yes, for app projects. When you upload a project containing package.json, a .csproj file, or requirements.txt, WebLauncher builds it into a Docker image and runs it with docker run as a persistent process with a restart policy. It is a genuine running server, capable of holding database connections, background jobs, and WebSocket connections open indefinitely - confirmed by directly testing an idle WebSocket connection surviving multiple minutes with no drop.
Static websites, Unity WebGL game builds, Node.js apps (Express, etc.), ASP.NET Core apps built with Visual Studio, and Python apps (Flask, FastAPI, etc.). Each app type must listen on the port given by the PORT environment variable (or ASPNETCORE_URLS for .NET, handled automatically for standard projects).
1) Upload a zip of your project. 2) WebLauncher detects whether it's a static site or an app project and processes it accordingly. 3) You verify you own the target domain by adding a DNS A record. 4) The site goes live with a free, automatically-renewing HTTPS certificate.
You add an A record at your domain registrar pointing to WebLauncher's server IP. The platform checks this resolves correctly before allowing the deployment to go live - this is the same record that actually routes traffic to your site, so there's no separate step.
Free for one site. Additional sites are $5/month each, as independent subscriptions you can cancel individually at any time from Settings.
Yes, for static sites - pick the file to replace from the dashboard and upload its new version. App projects (Node.js/.NET/Python) require a full redeploy to apply code changes, since they need to rebuild.
Yes. Set environment variables per app site from the dashboard - they're injected into the container the same way any hosting provider handles secrets and API keys. Redeploy after changing them for the change to take effect.
Yes, for all three app runtimes. Long-lived connections are not subject to any idle timeout imposed by the platform.
WebLauncher checks the container actually stays healthy after starting - not just that it was created. A failed build or an immediate crash is reported as a "failed" status with the real error/crash log shown on the dashboard, rather than incorrectly showing as running.
Settings in the dashboard lists every active subscription with a Cancel button next to it. Cancellation is immediate.
Passwords are hashed, never stored in plain text. Payment details go directly to Square and never touch WebLauncher's servers. See the Privacy Policy for full details.
Questions not answered here? support@weblauncher.online