Demoshell docs

Appearance

What is Demoshell? ​

Demoshell puts a live demo of your software on your website, in your README, or on a link you can send to anyone.

A demo is a small Linux machine — a VM — that runs inside the visitor's browser tab. There is no server behind it and no session to wait for. The visitor gets a real terminal with your software already installed, and whatever they type stays on their own machine.

You build the VM once. We save it, and every visitor resumes that saved machine.

How it works ​

  1. You write a build recipe: shell commands that install and configure your software. We run those commands in a real VM and save the machine at the end. That saved machine is your demo VM.
  2. You add a guide: a short checklist shown beside the terminal, so a visitor who has never seen your software knows what to type. Each step ticks itself as they do it.
  3. You can share it as a link, a README badge, or an embed on your own site.

Check out a couple of examples in the Gallery to get a better feel for the end result you'll get.

Next ​