What is Heroku?

In order to make our applications available to the public, we have to store them on an internet server. There are many cloud infrastructure providers that allow developers to use the provider’s servers to deploy web apps.

One of the more popular cloud infrastructure providers is AWS (Amazon Web Services). AWS is the largest cloud infrastructure provider in the world, hosting millions of websites and applications on their servers and giving developers hundreds of services & features to choose from. The learning curve for AWS is intense.

Heroku is an alternative hosting platform option, although it doesn’t own any physical servers like Amazon. Instead, Heroku utilizes Amazon servers but provides developers with a paired down and more intuitive front-end to facilitate the deployment process.

Although the interface is simpler, developers can still host large and powerful web apps using Heroku while having access to many useful features.

Getting Started with Heroku

GitHub has partnered with Heroku to give GitHub Students free credits to use Heroku’s services. To access these credits, you must set up a Heroku Account using GitHub Campus. To set up your Heroku Account using GitHub Campus use the walkthrough below.

Step 1: Access Your Student Developer Pack

Ensure that you are logged into your personal GitHub account (not GitHub Enterprise) that you provided to General Assembly.

Ensure that you have registered for GitHub Campus with your personal GitHub account. If you have not yet registered for GitHub Campus, follow this walkthrough before you move on.

Navigate to https://education.github.com/pack/offers.

You should now see a page that looks like this:

Scroll down the page until you see the Heroku card, and then click the Get access by connecting your GitHub account on Heroku link.

You’ll be taken to a page like the one shown below. Click on the Get the student offer button.

Step 2: Sign Up for a Heroku Account

You’ll now see one of two pages shown below.

If you see Login Page A, click on the Login with Heroku button to be taken to Login Page B.

If you see Login Page B, click the Sign Up button to register for an account.

After clicking Sign Up you’ll be taken to a form. Fill it out and then click Create an Account.

A new page will appear indicating that an email was sent to the email you provided in the form.

Go to your email and look for the confirmation message sent by noreply@heroku.com. Click on the link to activate your account.

The email will open a new Heroku tab in your browser. You can now close out of the previous tab. In the new tab, you’re prompted to create a password. Once you create your password click the Set Password and Log In button.

On the next page, click the proceed button to continue setting up your account.

Next, you’ll be asked to set up Multi-Factor Authentication. Click the Continue button.

If you don’t have an MFA app set up already, select the Salesforce Authenticator option here and follow the salesforce walkthrough to connect your account.

If you already use a different authenticator app, and are familiar with MFA’s, you can select the One-Time Password Generator instead to connect your account to an existing app.

Finally, Heroku may prompt you to authorize Heroku WWW. Click the Allow button to continue.

Step 3: Verify Your Student Status

You’ll now be taken to the application menu. You’ll return here several times. On this page you must first click Verify with GitHub to link your personal GitHub account (now registered with GitHub Campus) with Heroku.

The standard GitHub authorization page will appear. Click Authorize Heroku to link your accounts. This will verify you are a student and allow you to deploy projects directly from your GitHub repositories.

Step 4: Verify Your Billing Information

You’ll now be taken back to the application menu to verify your billing information.

❗YOU HAVE FREE CREDITS WORTH $13 USD PER MONTH FOR 12 MONTHS. YOU WON’T BE CHARGED UNLESS YOU EXCEED YOUR CREDITS❗

Verifying your billing information ensures that:

• You are a real person
• Heroku can charge you if you exceed your credits.

Heroku will also email you reminders as your credits get closer to running out. Click on Add a credit or debit card to your account now to continue.

A new page detailing the Terms of Service will appear. Read and accept the terms.

You’ll get directed to your personal Heroku dashboard. We’ll visit this again later. For now, select Add payment method.

You’ll find yourself at the Account management page where you can configure your account settings. For now, select Add credit card.

A sidebar will pop out on the left of your screen. Fill out the form and then click Save details.

The sidebar will close and you’ll now see your credit card information has been applied to your account.

Step 5: Finish the Application for Free Heroku Credits

Return to the application menu. Fill out the form and then click send to finish applying for free Heroku credits.

More Terms of Service will appear in a modal. Read and accept the terms.

Your application menu will now have every step completed. It may take 24+ hours to approve the application. You’ll receive an email once your application is approved.

You can now return to your Heroku dashboard if you wish. You can use this dashboard to deploy apps once your credits are approved.