Lifeboat

Lifeboat is a lightweight application, an SSH client, and a Xojo web management utility for your Linux server(s).

First and foremost, this application is suitable for those who have one or more Linux servers up and running. The tool supports multiple Linux distributions such as CentOS 7, Debian 9, Debian 10, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, or Ubuntu 20.10. For the current testing process, conducted on a live Ubuntu 20.04 server, Lifeboat provided a wide range of options, all within a lightweight and simple implementation.

In order to connect to your Linux server, you need to insert your public, static IP address, the access port, your username, and an authentication method. The tool lets you choose between the password and key authentication options. For accessing the server using your key pair, click 'Select' and choose your key-pair file. Proceed by testing the connection and if affirmative, click 'Connect.' To further continue with the configuration process, you can use the tool's dedicated command for signing up in Let's Encrypt, a free SSL certificate provider.

During the connection process, if you access your Linux server using Lifeboat for the first time, the tool will request permission for installing its components and configuring the server. After the installation and configuration processes are done, you can browse through your server resources, add new instances (domains or subdomains, web apps, static files, etc) or configure your existing configuration setup (e.g. add new tools, like installing PHP).

Once the basics are installed and everything runs smoothly, you can continue with the app deployment. These can be uploaded in the 'Web Apps' section by entering each tool's name, assigning it to one of your domains, specifying the number of instances, etc. You can upload your files and choose to automatically deploy them, or wait a bit longer. This tool is perfect for those who have web applications built in Xojo, versions 1.0 or 2.0. As such, you can upload, stage, and send live your Xojo apps using Lifeboat's compact assembly of features.