Heroku CLI Guide

Heroku Toolbelt Installation

The Heroku CLI (Command Line Interface), also known as the Heroku Toolbelt, is essential for managing your Heroku applications. Here's how to install it on various operating systems:

macOS Installation

brew tap heroku/brew && brew install heroku

Ubuntu Installation

sudo snap install --classic heroku

Other Installation Methods

For Unix-based systems (excluding Windows), you can use:

curl https://cli-assets.heroku.com/install.sh | sh

For Debian/Ubuntu systems using apt-get:

curl https://cli-assets.heroku.com/install-ubuntu.sh | sh

For Arch Linux (community maintained):

yay -S heroku-cli

For users on ARM and BSD systems, or if other methods fail:

npm install -g heroku

Verifying Installation

After installation, verify that the Heroku CLI is set up correctly by checking its version:

heroku --version

Getting Started with Heroku CLI

Logging In

To interact with your Heroku account, you need to log in:

heroku login

This command will typically open your web browser for authentication. If you prefer to stay in the command line environment:

heroku login -i

Creating a New Heroku Application

Navigate to your project directory and create a new Heroku application:

cd ~/myapp
heroku create

If you encounter login issues, try resetting your network configuration:

mv ~/.netrc ~/.netrc.backup
heroku login

Uninstalling Heroku CLI

macOS Uninstall

You can remove the Heroku CLI using:

rm -rf /usr/local/heroku /usr/local/lib/heroku /usr/local/bin/heroku ~/.local/share/heroku ~/Library/Caches/heroku

Alternatively, if installed via Homebrew:

brew uninstall heroku
rm -rf ~/.local/share/heroku ~/Library/Caches/heroku

Linux Uninstall (Standalone Installs)

rm /usr/local/bin/heroku
rm -rf /usr/local/lib/heroku /usr/local/heroku
rm -rf ~/.local/share/heroku ~/.cache/heroku

Linux Uninstall (Debian and Ubuntu Installs)

sudo apt-get remove heroku heroku-toolbelt
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/heroku.list

Managing and Deploying Applications with Git

Heroku integrates seamlessly with Git for application deployment. Follow these steps:

Project Setup and Commit

cd myapp                           # Navigate to your project directory
git init                           # Initialize a new Git repository
git add -f example.json            # Add specific files (even if ignored by .gitignore)
git add .                          # Add all project files (respecting .gitignore)
git commit -m "My first commit"    # Commit your changes

Creating and Linking Heroku Apps

Create a new application on Heroku:

heroku create appname              # 'appname' is your chosen application name

Verify that the Heroku remote has been added:

git remote -v

If you have an existing Heroku app, you can add its remote:

heroku git:remote -a thawing-inlet-61413      # Replace with your app name

You can rename remotes for clarity:

git remote rename heroku heroku-staging

Deploying Code

Push your code to Heroku:

git push heroku master             # Deploy from the master branch
git push heroku master --force     # Force push if needed (use with caution)
git push heroku testbranch:master  # Deploy from a different local branch to Heroku's master

Using SSH Git Transport

For SSH-based Git transport:

heroku create --ssh-git
git config --global url.ssh://git@heroku.com/.insteadOf https://git.heroku.com/     # Configure SSH for all Heroku repos
git config --global --remove-section url.ssh://git@heroku.com/       # To revert this setting

Managing and Deploying Applications with Docker

Heroku supports deploying applications packaged as Docker containers.

Setting Stack to Container

heroku stack:set container

Container Registry Login

heroku container:login

Cloning Sample Application

git clone https://github.com/heroku/alpinehelloworld.git

Creating Heroku Application

heroku create appname                   # 'appname' is your chosen application name

Pushing and Releasing Docker Images

Build and push your Docker image:

heroku container:push web         # Push the 'web' process type
heroku container:push --recursive     # Push all process types recursively
heroku container:push web worker --recursive     # Push 'web' and 'worker' process types recursively

Release the pushed image to your application:

heroku container:release web

Opening Your Application

Open your deployed application in a web browser:

heroku open