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Heroku is a cloud platform as a service (PaaS) that enables developers to build, monitor, and scale applications. Learn Heroku with online courses delivered through edX.

What is Heroku?

Heroku is a container-based cloud PaaS that helps companies build and manage applications entirely from the cloud. Developers can use their Heroku training to streamline the development process through an intuitive framework for design, storage, maintenance, and more.1 Within the cloud-based platform, users can scale projects by purchasing “dynos,” or individual Linux containers that drive application processes.2 There are two primary forms of scaling:

  • Horizontal scaling, which enables applications to handle more traffic or volume.

  • Vertical scaling, which gives applications more power — namely, memory and CPU resources.

To achieve the former, users must buy more dynos; the latter, larger dynos.

Heroku projects are deployed to and hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Heroku is supported by the following programming languages and frameworks:3

  • Ruby

  • Python

  • Node.js

  • PHP

  • Go

  • Java

  • Scala

  • Clojure

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Heroku course curriculum

Aspiring developers of all backgrounds can benefit from experience with Heroku, as it is an intuitive and user-friendly PaaS tool. A typical Heroku tutorial course might cover the following:

  • Installation: Set-up will vary by choice of language and framework. In general, learners should be able to get started fairly quickly.4

  • App preparation: Learners can gain knowledge about how to prepare an application for deployment. They can begin with a simple sample application.

  • Deployment: Learners will be introduced to dynos, as well as Heroku’s many database options. They can also master Git, the open-source version control system that drives Heroku deployments.5 Lessons can also cover the Heroku command line interface (CLI), which enables users to work on their applications directly from the terminal.6

  • Scaling: Learn about horizontal and vertical scaling, as well as different kinds of dynos. Learners may also explore autoscaling — which automatically adjusts a dyno count according to certain performance factors — to further boost efficiency.7

  • Add-ons: These supplemental features help users optimize data storage, security, log management, and more.

Jobs that use Heroku

Knowledge of Heroku is beneficial to many roles. These may include:

  • Developer: Developers are prioritizing elegance, usability, and efficiency. That’s why Heroku offers instant scalability, simple customization, and a user-friendly interface across a number of programming platforms.

  • Software programmer: Like developers, programmers may turn to Heroku to create and optimize programs. Its versatility can make it an excellent choice for programmers, whose knowledge typically spans several languages and platforms.

  • Salesforce architect: This role requires extensive knowledge of Salesforce, one of the world’s most popular customer relationship management (CRM) software, and Heroku.8 Salesforce offers easy CRM integration with Heroku, enabling companies to build their own customer applications on the public cloud.9

While Heroku experience can be valuable, different roles have different criteria for job candidates. Some developer jobs may have specific educational requirements like a bachelor’s degree in data science or computer science; others may call for specialized knowledge that can be acquired through a coding boot camp.

How to use Heroku as an app developer

To make the most out of Heroku, app developers may consider mastering these complementary or foundational subjects:

  • Programming: Heroku is officially supported by several popular programming languages. By learning one or more, you can dive into Heroku app development with confidence.

  • GitHub: Heroku’s GitHub integration streamlines the deployment process. By sharpening your GitHub expertise, you can better understand both the manual and automatic deployment processes.10

  • Performance testing: Developers frequently test their programs and applications. Those working with Heroku can consider exploring load tests, which provide insight into how their applications may function in a real-world environment.11

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    1. What Is Heroku? A Simple Explanation for Non-Techies. (2018). TriFin Labs. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    2. Heroku Dynos Explained. (2017). Rapid7. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    3. Customize Your Build With Heroku Buildpacks. Heroku. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    4. Getting Started on Heroku with Python. (2022). Heroku. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    5. What Is Git. Atlassian. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    6. Command Line. Heroku. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    7. Scaling Your Dyno Formation. (2022). Heroku Dev Center. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    8. Salesforce Ranked #1 CRM Provider for Ninth Consecutive Year. (2022). Salesforce. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    9. Heroku Is Part of the Salesforce Platform. Heroku. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    10. GitHub Integration (Heroku GitHub Deploys). (2022). Heroku Dev Center. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

    11. Application Load Testing. (2022). Heroku Dev Center. Retrieved December 13, 2022.