Deployment Concepts

Deployment Concepts

Deployment is the process of making your application available to users. Understanding deployment concepts is crucial for taking your project from development to production.

What is Deployment?

Deployment involves:

• Moving your code to a server
• Configuring the server environment
• Setting up databases and services
• Making your application accessible via the internet

Deployment Environments

• Development: Your local machine where you write code
• Staging: A server that mimics production for testing
• Production: The live server where users access your application

Common Deployment Platforms

• Vercel: Great for Next.js and static sites
• Heroku: Easy deployment for Python apps
• AWS: Amazon Web Services - comprehensive cloud platform
• DigitalOcean: Simple cloud hosting
• Railway: Modern deployment platform
• Render: Simple cloud platform

Deployment Checklist

• ✓ Set DEBUG = False in production
• ✓ Configure ALLOWED_HOSTS
• ✓ Set up environment variables
• ✓ Configure database (production database)
• ✓ Set up static files serving
• ✓ Configure domain and SSL certificate
• ✓ Set up monitoring and logging
• ✓ Test the deployment

Static Files

For Django projects, collect static files before deployment:

python manage.py collectstatic

Database Migrations

Always run migrations on the production server:

python manage.py migrate

Security Considerations

• Use HTTPS (SSL/TLS certificates)
• Keep dependencies updated
• Use strong secret keys
• Implement proper authentication
• Regular backups
• Monitor for security vulnerabilities

CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Deployment)

Automate your deployment process:

• Automated testing before deployment
• Automatic deployment on code push
• Rollback capabilities
• Environment consistency