Deployment Best Practices

Quick Start

Docker Build Pattern

Both frontend and backend use multi-stage builds:

1. •Builder stage: Install dependencies, compile TypeScript/build assets
2. •Production stage: Copy only built artifacts, install prod dependencies, run as non-root user

Environment Configuration

Follow 12-Factor App principles:

• •All config via environment variables
• •PORT, NODE_ENV, CORS_ORIGINS, DATABASE_URL
• •Frontend uses VITE_ prefix for client-side vars
• •Never commit .env files

Health Checks

Every backend must expose:

• •GET /api/health — basic liveness check
• •GET /api/health/ready — readiness with dependency checks

Docker Compose

# Build and run
docker-compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml up --build

# Run in background
docker-compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml up -d

# View logs
docker-compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml logs -f

Google Cloud Run

gcloud builds submit --tag gcr.io/PROJECT_ID/backend
gcloud run deploy backend \
  --image gcr.io/PROJECT_ID/backend \
  --platform managed \
  --region us-central1

Security Essentials

• •Run containers as non-root user
• •Use helmet() for security headers
• •Configure CORS with explicit origin whitelist
• •Use specific Node.js image versions

Port Reference

Additional Resources

• •For complete deployment reference including Dockerfiles, CI/CD, and platform comparisons, see reference.md