This document outlines the steps to build and deploy the Circle Backend.

• Environment: Node.js v16+, npm/yarn.
• Database: Access to a PostgreSQL instance (e.g., Supabase, Neon, RDS).
• Cache: Access to a Redis instance (e.g., Upstash, Redis Cloud).
• Storage: Cloudinary account.

The application is written in TypeScript and must be compiled to JavaScript before production use.

1. Install Production Dependencies

   npm ci --only=production

2. Generate Prisma Client

   npx prisma generate

3. Compile TypeScript

   npm run build

   This creates a dist/ folder containing the compiled JavaScript.

4. Database Migration Apply pending migrations to the production database.

   npm run migrate:prod

Use the compiled entry point:

npm run prod

This runs node dist/app.js.

The project includes a vercel.json file, suggesting Vercel support.

1. Install Vercel CLI: npm i -g vercel
2. Login: vercel login
3. Deploy: vercel

Ensure you add all Environment Variables in the Vercel dashboard.

For VPS deployments (DigitalOcean, EC2), use generic process managers like PM2.

npm install -g pm2
pm2 start dist/app.js --name "circle-backend"