Early User Testing Deployment Guide

This guide provides a simplified, step-by-step process to deploy the Payday Chat application for a small group of early testers.

##Prerequisites

1. A Domain Name: You need a domain (e.g., your-app.com). You can get one from providers like Namecheap, GoDaddy, or Google Domains.
2. A Linux Server (VPS): A basic virtual private server is required to host the backend and web app.
   • Recommended: A server with at least 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and 40 GB SSD.
   • Providers: Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Vultr, or AWS EC2.

##Step 1: Point Your Domain to the Server

In your domain provider's DNS settings, create an A record that points your domain to your server's public IP address.

• Host: @ (or your domain name)
• Value: YOUR_SERVER_IP
• TTL: 3600 (or 1 hour)

Example: your-app.com -> 123.45.67.89

##Step 2: Set Up the Server

SSH into your new server and run the following commands to install Docker and prepare the environment.

# SSH into your server as root
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# Update system packages
apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Install Docker and Docker Compose
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
apt install docker-compose-plugin -y

# Clone your project repository
git clone <your-git-repo-url> /app
cd /app

##Step 3: Configure and Launch the Backend

The backend is configured using an environment file.

1. Create the Production Environment File: Create a file named .env.production in the server/ directory:

   nano server/.env.production
   

2. Add Production Configuration: Copy and paste the following template into the file. You must replace the placeholder values with your actual domain, database credentials, and other secrets.

   # App
   NODE_ENV=production
   APP_URL=https://your-app.com
   PORT=3000
   
   # Security
   JWT_SECRET=replace_with_a_long_random_string
   JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=replace_with_another_long_random_string
   ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://your-app.com
   
   # Database (use strong, random passwords)
   DB_HOST=postgres
   DB_PORT=5432
   DB_USERNAME=payday
   DB_PASSWORD=replace_with_strong_db_password
   DB_NAME=payday
   DB_LOGGING=false
   
   # Redis
   REDIS_HOST=redis
   REDIS_PORT=6379
   
   # Email (using Resend as an example)
   MAIL_HOST=smtp.resend.com
   MAIL_PORT=465
   MAIL_USER=resend
   MAIL_PASSWORD=replace_with_your_resend_api_key
   MAIL_FROM="Payday App <noreply@your-app.com>"
   
   # Stripe (optional, can be added later)
   STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=
   STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=
   
   # Other
   SWAGGER_ENABLED=false
   

3. Launch the Production Stack: Run the following command from the root of the project (/app) to build and start all services in production mode.

   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml --env-file ./server/.env.production up -d --build
   

   Your backend and web application are now live at http://YOUR_DOMAIN/. (If you configure HTTPS on your server, use https://YOUR_DOMAIN/.)

##Step 4: Build and Share the Android App

1. Build the Release APK (recommended: no code edits): In your local terminal, navigate to the mobile directory and run the build command.

   cd mobile
   flutter build apk --release --dart-define=GATEWAY_URL=http://YOUR_DOMAIN
   

   If your server uses HTTPS:

   flutter build apk --release --dart-define=GATEWAY_URL=http://YOUR_DOMAIN
   

2. Upload the APK to your server (recommended): Copy the generated APK into the releases/ folder on the server.

   Example:

   scp mobile/build/app/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk \
     your_user@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/app/releases/app-release.apk
   

3. Public download link (the one you paste in your bio-site): Once deployed, the APK will be available at: http://YOUR_DOMAIN/download/app-release.apk (or https://YOUR_DOMAIN/download/app-release.apk if your server has HTTPS).

4. Share with testers:

   • Website: http://YOUR_DOMAIN/ (or https://YOUR_DOMAIN/ with HTTPS)
   • Android download: http://YOUR_DOMAIN/download/app-release.apk
   • Important: Testers must enable "Install from unknown sources" to install the APK.

##Summary for Your Testers

Give testers these two links:

• Website: http://YOUR_DOMAIN/ (or https://YOUR_DOMAIN/ with HTTPS)
• Android APK: http://YOUR_DOMAIN/download/app-release.apk

They can create accounts on either platform and the data will be synchronized.