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Test & Deploy Your ChatGPT Plugin

Developing a ChatGPT Plugin involves also testing and deployment. This guide walks you through how to accomplish these using popular tools and platforms.

Testing Your Plugin Locally with NGROK​

When developing a ChatGPT Plugin, you want to test it in a realistic environment before deploying it. You can use a tool like ngrok for this. ngrok creates a secure tunnel to your localhost, which can be accessed publicly over the internet. This way, you can develop and test your plugin on your local machine while it can be accessed as if it's hosted online.

Here are the steps:

  1. Install ngrok. You can download it from their official website.

  2. Start your local server (e.g., npm start for a Node.js application).

  3. Open a new terminal window and start ngrok on the same port as your server (e.g., ngrok http 3000).

  4. Ngrok will provide a unique URL that forwards to your local server. Use this URL as your plugin's base URL when testing.

ngrok http 3000

Now your localhost will be accessible over the internet through the ngrok-provided URLs, enabling you to test your ChatGPT Plugin with realistic network requests.

Deploying Your Plugin​

Once you're satisfied with your testing, it's time to deploy your plugin.

Important: Remember, your server should be set up to receive requests from chat.openai.com. Also, make sure the APIs mentioned in your OpenAPI specification (usually in an openapi.yaml file) are accessible as well.

Here are some popular platforms where you can host your ChatGPT Plugin.

Vercel​

Vercel is a cloud platform for static sites and Serverless Functions, perfect for hosting your ChatGPT Plugin. Their CLI tool makes it easy to deploy your project. You can find more about it in the official Vercel documentation.

Heroku​

Heroku is a platform as a service (PaaS) that supports several programming languages. Its flexibility makes it a good option for deploying your ChatGPT Plugin. Check out the official Heroku documentation to get started.

GitHub Pages​

GitHub Pages is a static site hosting service that takes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files straight from a repository on GitHub. If your plugin is primarily front-end with no server-side requirements, GitHub Pages is an excellent choice. You can learn more in the official GitHub Pages documentation.

Testing and deployment are critical aspects of developing a ChatGPT Plugin. With ngrok, you can quickly set up demos and test your plugin. Vercel, Heroku, and GitHub Pages provide flexible options for deploying your plugin. Remember to ensure the APIs are accessible for your plugin to function correctly. Happy developing!