Deploy to commercetools Connect

Learn how to deploy your customization to commercetools Connect.

This page applies only to Custom Applications.

Prerequisites

Before you get started, you need to have:

  • A commercetools Composable Commerce Project (get started).
  • A Custom Application configured in the Merchant Center. When configuring your Custom Application, enter a dummy URL value for Application URL as you will update it after the Custom Application is deployed.

Create your application

  1. Install a Connect starter template.

  2. Open the merchant-center-custom-application folder in the Connect starter template and install the Custom Applications starter template inside this folder.

  3. Add your environment variables to custom-application-config.mjs.

    custom-application-config.mjsJavaScript
    const config = {
    name: 'Example Custom Application',
    entryPointUriPath: '${env:ENTRY_POINT_URI_PATH}',
    cloudIdentifier: '${env:CLOUD_IDENTIFIER}',
    env: {
    development: {
    initialProjectKey: 'my-project-key',
    },
    production: {
    applicationId: '${env:CUSTOM_APPLICATION_ID}',
    url: '${env:APPLICATION_URL}',
    },
    },
    oAuthScopes: {
    view: ['view_products'],
    manage: ['manage_products'],
    },
    icon: '${path:@commercetools-frontend/assets/application-icons/rocket.svg}',
    mainMenuLink: {
    defaultLabel: 'Template starter',
    labelAllLocales: [],
    permissions: [PERMISSIONS.View],
    },
    submenuLinks: [
    {
    uriPath: 'channels',
    defaultLabel: 'Channels',
    labelAllLocales: [],
    permissions: [PERMISSIONS.View],
    },
    ],
    };
    export default config;
  4. Update the value of entryPointUriPath in constants.ts/constants.js.

    constant.jsJavaScript
    export const entryPointUriPath =
    typeof window === 'undefined'
    ? process.env.ENTRY_POINT_URI_PATH
    : window.app.entryPointUriPath;
  5. Open connect.yaml in the root of the Connect starter template and replace it with the following. Enter a name for the application, and define the environment variables you included in custom-application-config.mjs.

    connect.yamlyml
    deployAs:
    - name: name-of-custom-application
    applicationType: merchant-center-custom-application
    configuration:
    standardConfiguration:
    - key: CUSTOM_APPLICATION_ID
    description: the Custom Application ID
    required: true
    - key: CLOUD_IDENTIFIER
    description: The cloud identifier
    default: 'gcp-eu'
    - key: ENTRY_POINT_URI_PATH
    description: The Application entry point URI path
    required: true

APPLICATION_URL is automatically provided by commercetools Connect and you do not need to define it in connect.yaml.

CUSTOM_APPLICATION_ID and ENTRY_POINT_URI_PATH must only be used for the Custom Application’s Application ID and Application entry point URI path respectively.

  1. Push your code to a GitHub repository and make a new release. Your release must have a Git tag.

Your GitHub repository can be public or private. If you are using a private repository, you must provide access to the GitHub machine user connect-mu.

Publish and deploy your application

You can publish and deploy your application using either the Connect API or the Merchant Center. You will require the Application ID and Application entry point URI path of your configured Custom Application.

Using the Connect API

  1. Create a Connector which references the GitHub repository and release tag of your application.
  2. Publish your Connector using the preview or publish flow.
  3. Deploy the Connector with the correct configuration values. CUSTOM_APPLICATION_ID must be the Application ID and ENTRY_POINT_URI_PATH must be the Application entry point URI path of your configured Custom Application.
  4. Once your Connector is deployed, get the Deployment and copy the value of applications[*].url. This is the URL where your Custom Application is deployed.
  5. In the Merchant Center, update the Application URL of your Custom Application with the URL where your Custom Application is deployed.

Using the Merchant Center

  1. Create an Organization Connector which references the GitHub repository and release tag of your application.
  2. Publish your Connector using Request Preview or Publish for private use.
  3. Install the Organization Connector with the correct configuration values. CUSTOM_APPLICATION_ID must be the Application ID and ENTRY_POINT_URI_PATH must be the Application entry point URI path of your configured Custom Application.
  4. Open Manage connectors and click Installations. When the Status of the Connector is Installed, click the Connector and select your application from the list. Copy the value of the URL field. This is the URL where your Custom Application is deployed.
  5. Update the Application URL of your Custom Application with the URL where your Custom Application is deployed.

Test your deployment

Install the Custom Application in the Merchant Center and access it in your Projects.