9. Understanding the Publishing Ecosystem
When you start building projects, you will hear many new terms.At first they may sound complicated, but most of them have very simple purposes.
Repository (Repo)
A repository is your project storage.
Think of it as an online folder that contains:
-
HTML files
-
CSS files
-
JavaScript files
-
Images
-
Documentation
Popular providers:
A Repo stores your project and keeps track of changes.
Commit
A commit is a saved version of your project.
Think of it as:
“Save Progress”
Every commit creates a point in time you can return to later.
Push
Push means:
“Send my local changes to GitHub.”
Local Computer → GitHub Repository
Branch
A branch is a development copy.
You can experiment without affecting the main version.
Main Branch = Stable Version
Development Branch = Testing Area
Static Website
A static website consists of files that are simply displayed.
Examples:
-
Landing Pages
-
Dashboards
-
Documentation
-
Community Pages
Usually built from:
Hosting Provider
A hosting provider publishes your website online.
Examples:
-
Netlify
-
Vercel
-
Cloudflare Pages
These services take your project and make it available to visitors.
Cloudflare Pages
Cloudflare Pages is designed for websites.
Purpose:
Repository → Website
Typical workflow:
GitHub Repo
↓
Cloudflare Pages
↓
Live Website
Example:
yourproject.pages.dev
Cloudflare Worker
A Worker is different.
Pages display content.
Workers perform actions.
Think of a Worker as a tiny cloud computer.
Examples:
-
API requests
-
Price fetching
-
Wallet validation
-
Form processing
-
Token verification
-
Automation
Workflow:
User
↓
Website
↓
Worker
↓
External Service / Blockchain
API
API means:
Application Programming Interface
In simple words:
A service that provides information.
Examples:
-
LUNC price
-
USTC price
-
Wallet balances
-
Market data
-
Weather data
Your application asks.
The API responds.
Domain
A domain is the address people type into the browser.
Examples:
Without a domain:
yourproject.pages.dev
With a Domain
Deployment
Deployment means:
Publishing a project.
Local Project
↓
Repository
↓
Hosting Provider
↓
Live Website
This process is called a deployment.
Typical Terra Classic Developer Flow
Idea
↓
Design
↓
HTML / CSS / JavaScript
↓
GitHub Repository
↓
Commit
↓
Push
↓
Cloudflare Pages
↓
Domain
↓
Live Terra Classic Application + Tests and Live Status
This is the path that transforms an idea into a real public application.