Deployment Guide - Developers¶

This guide covers deploying ALwrity in various environments, from development to production, with best practices for scalability, security, and monitoring.

🎯 What You'll Accomplish¶

By the end of this guide, you'll have: - ✅ Deployed ALwrity in your preferred environment - ✅ Configured production-ready settings - ✅ Implemented monitoring and logging - ✅ Set up CI/CD pipelines for automated deployments

⏱️ Time Required: 2-3 hours¶

🚀 Deployment Options¶

Self-Hosted Deployment¶

Docker Deployment¶

The easiest way to deploy ALwrity is using Docker:

Quick Start

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/AJaySi/ALwrity.git
cd ALwrity

# Start with Docker Compose
docker-compose up -d

What This Includes - Backend API: FastAPI application with all endpoints - Frontend: React application with Material-UI - Database: PostgreSQL for data storage - Redis: For caching and session management - Nginx: Reverse proxy and load balancer

Kubernetes Deployment¶

For production environments, use Kubernetes:

Key Benefits - High Availability: Automatic failover and recovery - Scalability: Auto-scaling based on demand - Load Balancing: Distribute traffic across instances - Resource Management: Efficient resource allocation

Deployment Steps 1. Create Kubernetes Cluster - Set up your K8s cluster 2. Apply Configurations - Deploy ALwrity using K8s manifests 3. Configure Ingress - Set up external access 4. Monitor Deployment - Track deployment status

Cloud Deployment¶

AWS Deployment¶

Deploy ALwrity on Amazon Web Services:

Recommended Architecture - ECS/Fargate: Container orchestration - RDS: Managed PostgreSQL database - ElastiCache: Redis for caching - Application Load Balancer: Traffic distribution - CloudFront: CDN for static assets

Benefits - Managed Services: Reduce operational overhead - Auto-scaling: Handle traffic spikes automatically - High Availability: Multi-AZ deployment - Security: AWS security best practices

Google Cloud Deployment¶

Deploy on Google Cloud Platform:

Recommended Services - Cloud Run: Serverless container platform - Cloud SQL: Managed PostgreSQL - Memorystore: Managed Redis - Cloud Load Balancing: Global load balancing - Cloud CDN: Content delivery network

Advantages - Serverless: Pay only for what you use - Global Scale: Deploy across multiple regions - Integrated Services: Seamless integration with GCP services

📊 Production Configuration¶

Environment Variables¶

Configure your production environment:

Essential Variables

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/alwrity
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

# API Keys
GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key

# Security
SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key_here
JWT_SECRET_KEY=your_jwt_secret_key

# Monitoring
SENTRY_DSN=your_sentry_dsn

Security Best Practices - Use Environment Variables: Never hardcode sensitive data - Rotate Keys Regularly: Change API keys periodically - Use Secrets Management: Store secrets securely - Enable Encryption: Encrypt data at rest and in transit

Database Configuration¶

Optimize your database for production:

PostgreSQL Settings - Connection Pooling: Configure appropriate pool sizes - Backup Strategy: Regular automated backups - Monitoring: Track database performance - Indexing: Optimize query performance

Redis Configuration - Memory Management: Configure appropriate memory limits - Persistence: Set up data persistence - Clustering: Use Redis Cluster for high availability - Monitoring: Track Redis performance

Nginx Configuration¶

Set up reverse proxy and load balancing:

Key Features - SSL Termination: Handle HTTPS encryption - Load Balancing: Distribute traffic across backend instances - Rate Limiting: Prevent abuse and attacks - Security Headers: Add security headers to responses

Performance Optimization - Gzip Compression: Compress responses - Static File Caching: Cache static assets - Connection Pooling: Reuse connections - Buffer Optimization: Optimize buffer sizes

🚀 CI/CD Pipeline Setup¶

GitHub Actions¶

Automate your deployment process:

Pipeline Stages 1. Test: Run automated tests 2. Build: Build Docker images 3. Deploy: Deploy to production 4. Monitor: Verify deployment success

Key Features - Automated Testing: Run tests on every commit - Docker Builds: Build and push container images - Environment Deployment: Deploy to different environments - Rollback Capability: Quick rollback on failures

GitLab CI/CD¶

Alternative CI/CD solution:

Pipeline Configuration - Multi-stage Pipelines: Separate build, test, and deploy stages - Docker Integration: Build and push container images - Environment Management: Deploy to different environments - Security Scanning: Automated security checks

🚀 Monitoring and Logging¶

Application Monitoring¶

Track your application performance:

Key Metrics - Response Times: API endpoint performance - Error Rates: Track application errors - Resource Usage: CPU, memory, disk usage - User Activity: Track user interactions

Monitoring Tools - Prometheus: Metrics collection and storage - Grafana: Visualization and dashboards - Sentry: Error tracking and performance monitoring - DataDog: Comprehensive monitoring platform

Logging Configuration¶

Set up comprehensive logging:

Log Levels - DEBUG: Detailed debugging information - INFO: General application information - WARNING: Warning messages - ERROR: Error conditions - CRITICAL: Critical errors

Log Management - Centralized Logging: Aggregate logs from all services - Log Rotation: Manage log file sizes - Log Analysis: Search and analyze log data - Alerting: Set up log-based alerts

Health Checks¶

Monitor application health:

Health Check Endpoints - Basic Health: Simple application status - Detailed Health: Check all dependencies - Readiness Check: Verify application is ready to serve traffic - Liveness Check: Verify application is running

Monitoring Integration - Kubernetes Probes: Use health checks for K8s probes - Load Balancer Health: Health checks for load balancers - Monitoring Alerts: Alert on health check failures

🎯 Security Best Practices¶

Application Security¶

Secure your ALwrity deployment:

Security Measures - HTTPS Only: Enforce HTTPS for all traffic - Security Headers: Add security headers to responses - Input Validation: Validate all user inputs - Authentication: Implement proper authentication

Access Control - Role-based Access: Implement RBAC - API Rate Limiting: Prevent abuse - IP Whitelisting: Restrict access by IP - Audit Logging: Log all access attempts

Infrastructure Security¶

Secure your infrastructure:

Network Security - Firewall Rules: Configure appropriate firewall rules - VPC Configuration: Use private networks - SSL/TLS: Encrypt all communications - DDoS Protection: Implement DDoS protection

Data Security - Encryption at Rest: Encrypt stored data - Encryption in Transit: Encrypt data in transit - Backup Encryption: Encrypt backup data - Key Management: Secure key storage and rotation

🆘 Troubleshooting¶

Common Deployment Issues¶

Address common deployment problems:

Database Issues - Connection Problems: Check database connectivity - Performance Issues: Optimize database queries - Backup Failures: Verify backup procedures - Migration Errors: Handle database migrations

Application Issues - Startup Failures: Check application configuration - Memory Issues: Monitor memory usage - Performance Problems: Identify bottlenecks - Error Handling: Implement proper error handling

Performance Optimization¶

Optimize your deployment:

Application Optimization - Caching: Implement appropriate caching strategies - Database Optimization: Optimize database performance - CDN Usage: Use CDN for static assets - Load Balancing: Distribute traffic effectively

Infrastructure Optimization - Resource Allocation: Right-size your infrastructure - Auto-scaling: Implement auto-scaling policies - Monitoring: Track performance metrics - Capacity Planning: Plan for future growth

🎯 Next Steps¶

Immediate Actions (This Week)¶

Choose deployment strategy (Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud)
Set up CI/CD pipeline for automated deployments
Configure monitoring and logging for production
Implement security best practices and SSL certificates

This Month¶

Deploy to production with proper monitoring
Set up backup and disaster recovery procedures
Implement performance optimization and caching
Create runbooks for common operational tasks

🚀 Ready for More?¶

Learn about performance optimization →

Questions? Join our community or contact support!