module 06 sessions files

Local vs live

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Full Lesson Reference

A file on your machine is not the same as a file on the web. This distinction trips people up the first time Claude builds them a report or landing page.

Local: file:/ /

When Claude creates a file on your machine, you can open it in your browser. The

URL looks like

file:///Users/alex/Dropbox/Claude%20Code/my-project/drafts/report.html

That file:/ / prefix means: local only. You see it because it's on your laptop. Nobody else in the world can access that URL - it's not on the internet.

Don't send a file:/ / URL to a client. They'll click it and get nothing.

Live: a public URL

For someone else to see your work, the file needs to be published - pushed to GitHub and deployed to a hosting service. Then the URL looks like:

https://your-domain.com/reports/weekly.html https://your-username.github.io/reports/weekly.html

That URL works for anyone with the link. This is what you share with clients and team.

The workflow

Most deliverables follow this pattern

  1. Claude builds the file locally. You preview it via file:/ /
  2. You iterate - "tighten the tone", "fix the colours", "remove section 3"
  3. When it's right, Claude commits + pushes to GitHub
  4. GitHub deploys to a live URL in about 60 seconds
  5. You share the live URL with the client

Module 07 covers the GitHub setup. The key thing to know now: file:/ / is your preview, the web URL is what you share.

How to tell which URL you're looking at

Look at the address bar

  • Starts with file:/ / - local, only you can see it
  • Starts with http:// or https:// - live, anyone with the link can see it

The classic mistake

You send a client a URL. They say "link doesn't work". You try it on your own machine

  • it works. Problem: you sent them a file:/ / URL that only works on YOUR machine.

Always test shared links by

  1. Opening a private/incognito window
  2. Pasting the URL
  3. If it loads, it's public. If not, you've sent a local URL.

Pushing to a live URL

Once a file is ready

This is done. Commit everything and push to GitHub so it goes live.

Claude commits, pushes, and gives you the live URL when it's deployed.

Or more explicit

Push the weekly-report.html file to the public folder, commit, and push. Give me the live URL once it's deployed.

Encryption for client-facing pages

Live URLs are public by default - anyone with the link can see them. For client-sensitive content, encrypt the file before publishing. Module 07 covers how to set up encryption.

Quick preview: once encryption is set up, pushing to GitHub automatically encrypts. The URL still works, but visitors need a password to unlock. Covered fully in Module 07.

Action items

☐ Understand: file:/ / is local, https:// is live

☐ Never send a file:/ / URL to anyone outside your machine

☐ Always test shared URLs in an incognito window first

☐ Remember the workflow: build locally, preview, iterate, push to live

Next lesson: The /wrapup discipline.

Exercises

  1. Review the concepts covered in this lesson: Local vs live.
  2. Write down your key takeaway from this lesson.
  3. Practice running any commands or prompts mentioned above inside your terminal.