Deployment and Live Demos

Make it easy to see the project running

Many reviewers will not clone and run your code, so a live demo greatly increases the chance they see your work. Static frontends can be hosted on static hosting services; full-stack apps can use platform hosting or a small cloud instance; mobile apps can show a short video, screenshots or a test build. Free tiers and their limits change often, so check current provider documentation and costs. Provide a demo account or seeded data so visitors do not need to sign up, and keep secrets out of the repository (use environment variables and .env.example). If a demo may be slow to start or might be taken down later, say so in the README and include screenshots or a short video as a fallback.

A demo-readiness checklist

Before linking a demo from your resume.

[ ] demo URL loads on a phone and a laptop
[ ] demo account or seed data; no sign-up required to explore
[ ] no real personal data; fake names and example.com emails only
[ ] secrets in environment variables, never committed; .env.example provided
[ ] errors show friendly messages, not stack traces
[ ] README notes cold-start delays or usage limits if any
[ ] screenshots or a short video in the README as a fallback
[ ] you know the monthly cost (or that it is free) and have a spending alert
[ ] demo link checked again the week you apply

A test drive

A car dealer can describe the engine, but most buyers decide after a short test drive. A live demo is your project's test drive.

Quick check: Why provide a demo account or seeded data?

• So reviewers can explore the project without signing up or adding data
• To collect reviewers' email addresses
• Because hosting providers require it
• To hide that the project works