All notesGuide
How to host an internal tool without managing a server
Run an internal tool for your team without servers, VPNs or DevOps: deploy, restrict to your people and approve every change.
Debraj
Every team now has a small tool somebody built with an assistant. Few teams have anywhere safe to run it.
What an internal tool needs
- Access limited to your people.
- A stable link that survives updates.
- A way to review changes.
- Low cost, because it is used a few times a day.
The setup
- Upload the folder, a .zip or a GitHub repo, or ask your assistant to deploy it over MCP. Cohostly shows draft settings first, and nothing goes live until you confirm.
- Share with your team or named people.
- Connect the data it reads with the narrowest permission.
- Turn on approvals for edits.
Why not a VPN or a spare machine
A shared computer under a desk has no backups, no logs and no way to remove someone’s access. A host does all three.
Keep it healthy
Read the logs when something looks off, use versions to roll back a bad change and let the app rest when nobody needs it.
Questions
Can I restrict a tool to my company?
Yes, share with your whole team or with named people only.
Who can change the tool?
People you give edit access, and their changes wait for your approval.
What if an update breaks it?
Roll back to the previous version in one step.