# Deploy button

Ship a template, a starter or an open-source tool? Put this in your README and anyone can run their own copy on HostEdge:

![Deploy to HostEdge](https://hostedge.app/button.svg)

```markdown
[![Deploy to HostEdge](https://hostedge.app/button.svg)](https://hostedge.app/new?repo=github.com/OWNER/REPO)
```

## How it works

1. The visitor signs in (or creates an account) and lands on a short page that names your repository.
2. They pick a project name and a workspace, and press **Deploy**.
3. HostEdge downloads the repository, detects the framework, builds it and gives them a live URL.

The repository must be public. It is copied once: later pushes to your repository do not change their project. They can connect their own fork from GitHub at any time to get push-to-deploy.

## Options

| Parameter | Example                             | Meaning                                                                                 |
| --------- | ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `repo`    | `github.com/acme/app/tree/main/web` | The repository; add `/tree/<branch>/<folder>` for a branch or a subfolder of a monorepo |
| `name`    | `my-waitlist`                       | Suggested project name                                                                  |

## Environment variables

If the repository has a `.env.example`, HostEdge lists its variable names after the first deploy so the visitor knows what to set. `.env` files and other files that look like secrets are never copied.

## Without a button

The **New project** page has a field for any public repository link, so you can deploy something you found on GitHub without connecting your account.