How to host Pluto.jl notebooks online

When you are done writing your notebook, you can put it on the internet as a website! Notebooks as websites is a core feature of Pluto. This page will explain how you go from a notebook on your computer, say animals.jl, to a website like https://example.com/animals, where anyone can read your notebook directly, without needing to install Julia or Pluto.

There are many options fitting to different needs. Some are really easy, while others are more complex.

📎 Pluto file formats

And good to know: Pluto notebooks are .jl files, which only contain the code of your notebook, not the outputs. For example, if your notebook contains plot(x, y), then the resulting PNG image is not stored in the .jl file. Other people need to install Pluto to open the file.

You can also use Pluto to export a notebook to a .html or .pdf file by clicking the icon. These files contain outputs, like the plot image. Other people can open these files directly on their computer, without needing to install Pluto.

GitHub: static-export-template

If you have a GitHub account, then this is the easiest option. Go to github.com/JuliaPluto/static-export-template and follow the easy instructions with screenshots to set up your repository. This sets up a repository with .jl notebook files, which are automatically executed, exported and hosted on the cloud. You get a website like https://username.github.io/my_project where you can read the notebooks.

Pros:

• Free
• Works for multiple notebooks
• Easy notebook updates: changing .jl files automatically updates the website

Cons:

• Takes 15-30 minutes to set up (but not too hard!)
• You need to use GitHub

Glass Notebook

If you have a GitHub account, then glassnotebook.io is a great option for hosting your notebooks online. Glass can also host notebooks interactively: people who visit your website can interact with sliders and buttons instantly! Glass was made specifically for Pluto.jl, so it works great with Julia and Pluto!

Pros:

• Free (for static notebooks)
• Ability to host interactive notebooks (paid option)
• Easy user interface
• Support from developers if things don’t work

Cons:

• You need to use GitHub

Netlify drop: “quick and dirty”

If you just have a couple of .html files that you exported with Pluto, then you can use netlify drop to put them online as a website. Put all .html files in one folder on your computer, and drag the folder into netlify drop. This will give you a website!

This only works with .html files that you exported yourself, not with .jl notebook files.

Pros:

• Free
• Fast and easy

Cons:

• Updating the website with new notebooks requires a bit of care
• You need a Netlify account
• No automatic index page listing all notebooks

Work in progress, more coming!