bubble/docs/remote-launcher.md

# Bubble Remote Launcher Mode
You must already have a Bubble running in [Local Launcher Mode](local-launcher.md) to proceed.

## Start Bubble
If your Bubble is not already running on your local system, start it by running `./bin/run.sh`

## Log In
When your local Bubble finishes launching, it should open a web page. If you see a page with the title "Activation",
then your Bubble still needs to be activated. Read about activation in the [Local Launcher Mode](local-launcher.md) instructions.

If you see a login screen, you should be able to log in as the admin user using the email
address `root@local.local` and the password from your `activation.json` file.

## Fork a Remote Launcher
After you log in, you should see a "Launch Bubble" screen.
If you don't see this screen, click the "My Bubble" link in the header.

In the "Bubble Type" drop-down box, choose "Fork Launcher".

In the "Fork Host" field, enter the fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) that the Bubble will be known as.

In the "Plan" field, it is recommended to choose the highest-level plan. The Remote Launcher requires a decent amount
of memory and CPU.

In the "Domain" field, choose the domain that corresponds to the FQDN you entered in the "Fork Host" field.

Configure the remaining fields as you desire. When you're ready, click the "Launch Your Bubble!" button.

The screen will refresh and show a progress meter. A typical launch will take about 10 minutes.

## Your Very Remote Launcher
The very first Remote Launcher you launch will build a [Packer](https://packer.io) image that will be used for this and
subsequent launches.

This process adds about 20-25 minutes to the launch process.

While the packer image is building, the progress meter will appear to be "stuck" at 1%. This is normal.
If you're curious, you can observe the packer image being built in your Bubble logs.

This only happens the first time you launch a Remote Launcher.
Later launches can skip this step, because Bubble will detect that the packer image already exists.

## Next Steps
When your Bubble finishes launching, it will show a "Connect to Bubble" button. Click this and you'll be connected
to your Remote Launcher.

You are now ready to [Launch a Bubble](launch-node.md) from the Remote Launcher