Getting started with the Cloud9 development environment

Web Development

cloud9 logoIf you are learning web development, Cloud9 offers free and low-cost cloud based environment that provides everything you need to get started.

Every now and then, I’m impressed. I’m not sure how I’ve never heard of this before, but Cloud9 is pretty amazing. This online integrated development environment supports the following languages: C#, C/C++, Clojure, CoffeeScript, ColdFusion, CSS, Groovy, Java, JavaScript, LaTeX, Lua, Markdown, OCaml, PHP, Perl, PowerShell, Python, Ruby, Scala, SCSS, SQL, Textile, X(HTML), XML.  When creating a new project, you can import code from Git, GitHub, Bitbucket or Mercurial.  You can also deploy your projects to Heroku, Joyent, Openshift, Windows Azure, or Google App Engine.

ASS-KICKING WEB-BASED EDITOR

What amazed me right away about Cloud9 is the fact that it is 100% browser-based. There is no software to install or anything to download. You simply fire-up your browser and get to work. In your browser, you’ll find an IDE, as well as a console window. You can chose from a number of editor themes, so you can do for the “Monokai” look if that is your thing.

cloud9 IDE
Cloud9 IDE

Impressive TemPlates

Creating a new application could not be more simple; you can chose from one of about a dozen templates. These include basic HTML5, Node, Python, C++, PHP/Apache, django, Ruby, WordPress, or a blank Ubuntu Linux image. There is even a template specifically for Harvard’s infamous CS50 course.

DATABASE TOO!

Yep. You can configure a database for your application. Cloud9 supports MongoDB, MySQL, CouchDB or Cassandra.  In each case, the setup is slightly more involved than a simple click or two, but overall it’s not too complicated.

Pricing

It’s very cool that they have a free tier. Not only can you kick the tires, but for students, it’s a no-brainer.  You get one private workspace, and then the rest are public. The “Individual” plan is $19 per month. This is not a bad deal at all as you get three “Hot Workspaces” (i.e. they don’t spin-down due to inactivity), unlimited private workspaces, and increased performance. There is a “Teams” plan which is even more robust as well. If you are a full-time student or represent a school, look into their “Education” plan, which will run you a whopping $1 per month. Amazing.

Summary

While services like Heroku, Cloud Foundry, Dokku, Deis, Flynn all make it easy to spin-up various kinds of web-based stacks, Cloud9 makes it even easier. One of the really key aspects of this is the 100% online approach. You do everything in the browser; create files, edit files, deploy your code, even run terminal commands. For serious / production PAAS, I’d go with AWS, but for learning, quick testing, or prototyping, I highly recommend taking a look at Cloud9.

Node.js Hosting Links

Node.js

JavaScript LogoThe good news is: there are a lot of Node hosting services out there. The bad news is: there are a lot of Node hosting services out there

Installing Node locally is easy. Cloning an existing Node application from GitHub and running it locally is easy. Creating your own Node application and running it locally is easy. But, choosing a hosting solution for your Node application is definitely not easy.

Below is a list of companies that offer Node hosting services. I do not claim to have every possible company listed here. But I’ve done my best to list the ones that I know about and will update this page any time I learn about another one worth mentioning.


Title: Openshift

Link: openshift.com

Description: I’ve used Openshift.com quite a bit and for the most part have been very happy with their service. They offer a free plan that definitely includes what you need to get up-and-running.


Title: Heroku

Link: heroku.com

Description: Heroku was the first Node hosting service I knew about. I’ve not used it in a while but I was always very happy with it. Setup and deployment was fairly pain-free, as was adding services such as MongoDB.


Title: Amazon Web Services

Link: Deploying Node.js Applications to AWS Elastic Beanstalk

Description: AWS is a big topic. But in general, it’s really easy to get a Node instance up-and-running with Elastic Beanstalk.


Title: Nodejitsu

Link: nodejitsu.com

Description: I’ve not tried Nodejitsu but have heard good things about them.


Title: zeit.co

Link: zeit.co/now

Description: This is a new one to me, but their setup looks super-simple.


Title: Node.js on Google Cloud Platform

Link: cloud.google.com/nodejs

Description: Although Google still has not caught up with Amazon yet, they are serious about their cloud offerings. I’ve not tried their Node hosting but have confidence that it is at worst, solid.


Title: Node.js Hosting

Link: a2hosting.com/nodejs-hosting

Description: Another new one to me, but their packages look very affordable.


Title: Node.js One Click Install | Cloud Hosting – GoDaddy

Link: a2hosting.com/nodejs-hosting

Description: Godaddy now offers a “Cloud” service that supports Node hosting.