Deploying Strapi

# Deploying Strapi
            ## On render.com

---
            
            ## Terminology
            <dl>
              <dt>Deploy</dt>
              <dd>Making a project publicly available on a server.</dd>
              <dt>Managed Host</dt>
              <dd>AKA, cloud provider. A server provider that handles all the details of deployment. In other words, we just have to click a few buttons in an admin panel to make a project live.</dd>
            </dl>

---

## General steps
            1. Sign up to your chosen cloud host (duh);
                - Today we will be deploying to [`render.com`](https://render.com)
            2. Connect your GitHub account to your Cloud Host account;
            3. Use the Host admin panel to deploy your Strapi repo (this takes awhile);
            4. Set your **Environment Variables** in your Host admin panel;
            5. Sign into your Strapi project and import your data.

---

## Environment Variables
            Your `.env` file stores local environment information that Strapi (and most server software) needs to run.
            - Your `.env` file should never be included in your repo (it's listed in the default Strapi `.gitignore` file);
            - This files allows you to customize your local environment:
                - Example: you can run your server on port 1338 on your machine but 1337 everywhere else;
            - When you deploy to [render.com](https://render.com/), you will need to enter the same `.env` variables in the admin panel for everything to work.

---

## Pre-requisites
            Before you begin deploying to [render.com](https://render.com/), you should have the following prepared:
            - A free [render.com](https://render.com/) account;
            - Install the [Import Export Entries](https://market.strapi.io/plugins/strapi-plugin-import-export-entries) plugin for Strapi;
                ```
                $ npm install strapi-plugin-import-export-entries
                ```
                - `$ npm run build` to enable the plugin
                    - You may have to follow the full instructions on the Plugin home page to enable the plugin?
                - Export your local Entries into a JSON file;
            - A GitHub repo containing your (working) Strapi project;

---

## Deploying to [render.com](https://render.com/)

---

### Step 1: Create a Web Service
            Connect your Strapi GitHub repo OR paste the URL of your repo if it's public.

---

### Step 2: Project settings
            If the field is not listed here, use the default value:
            - **Name**: A unique name for the project. This will become the subdomain of your project URL.
            - **Root directory**: Leave blank;
            - **Build Command**: 
                ```
                $ npm install && npm run build
                ```
            - **Start Command**:
                ```
                $ npm run start
                ```

---

### Step 3: Environment Variables
            You will need to add all the `.env` variables in your project to your Web Service:
            1. Go to the **Environment** section;
            2. Click **Add Environment Variables** to add each variable listed in your `.env` file:
                ```
                HOST=0.0.0.0
                PORT=1337
                APP_KEYS=[key1],[key2],[key3],[key4]
                API_TOKEN_SALT=[token-salt]
                ADMIN_JWT_SECRET=[admin-jwt-secret]
                JWT_SECRET=[jwt-secret]
                ```
                - Replace the [values] with the actual values listed in your project `.env` file.

---

### Step 4: Deploy
            [render.com](https://render.com/) will automatically deploy whenever you change your settings or push new code to your repo.
            1. Go to **Events** to see the status of your deployment;
                - This may take awhile...
            2. If there's an error: click on **deploy** to view the logs and troubleshoot;
                - double-check that your project works locally;
                - confirm your service settings and environment variables;
            3. If the deploy succeeds, go to your Strapi admin for the next step.

---

### Step 5: Import Entries
            Your repo will contain your Content-types but not your Super-user and your content Entries:
            1. Re-create your Super-user admin account;
            2. Go to the Content Manager;
            3. Import your Entries using the file you Exported from your local project;
            4. Done!

There is also an Import function in the Import/Export Entries section under the Content-type Builder but it doesn't seem to work.

---

## Step 6: API Token
            You will also need to [re-add your API Token](https://docs.strapi.io/developer-docs/latest/setup-deployment-guides/configurations/optional/api-tokens.html) to make API requests on the live server. **This will be a different token than your local one**.

---

## Further resources
            - [Deploy Strapi Docs on render.com](https://render.com/docs/deploy-strapi)