How to: Create a preview URL

This guide will: Explain how to create a temporary/preview URL within the Nimbus platform, so you can show the site to clients.

Contents:

How it works
How to set up a preview URL
Video tutorial

The preview URL feature within the platform allows you to create a temporary website URL, which can then be used to show your work to a client without having to change the host file, or set up a DNS.

How it works:

All preview URLs point to a proxy server. This proxy server acts as a go-between to the real one, looking up the URL in a database and then returning the site to the client as if it were live.

See the stages below:

The process:

Client computer requests the given preview URL (buiwim.nimpr.uk) via their internet browser. The traffic is directed to the Nimbus preview proxy server via DNS
The proxy server looks up the preview URL in a database
The real IP (176.1.1.56) is returned
The proxy server replaces the preview URL with the real URL, and sends traffic to the web server
The web server returns the site as it would if the site were live
The proxy server replaces the real URL with the preview URL, and sends the traffic to the client.

It is this process of replacing URLs that means the site on the server is not adjusted, yet is able to be returned to the client before going live.

This is hugely beneficial, as to then go live the DNS just needs to be pointing at the web server IP, no website changes are required at all.