TableauOps · Hosting

Hosting a Tableau extension, explained.

You have a .trex and a folder of files. To use them, they have to live on the internet. Here is the part nobody explains, in plain English.

Why hosting, at all?

A Tableau extension is just web files. But files sitting on your computer cannot be reached by Tableau Cloud or Server. They have to be loaded onto a host first, an online address Tableau can reach. The .trex is the pointer that holds that address.

.trexThe pointer. Holds one URL.
→
your filesThe extension. Sitting on your machine.
load→
a hostFiles uploaded here, served over HTTPS.

Until you load the files onto a host, the .trex points at nothing. Once they are up, Tableau Cloud or Server can reach the extension at that URL. That upload step is the whole reason hosting exists.

The one rule

HTTPS, with a real certificate.

Tableau will not load a production extension over plain http, and self-signed certificates fail. The good news: real certificates are free. That is the only hard requirement.

Two ways to do it

You can host it yourself, or let it be hosted for you. Flip the switch and watch the difference.

6
steps
~40m
to set up
You maintain uptime, certs, and updates. Forever.

Five things that trip people up

Or skip all of this.

Point the .trex at our hosted, auto-updating URL. You add one object to your dashboard. We handle the certificate, the uptime, and the updates.

Use TableauOps hosting