Deploying Care on DigitalOcean

In this guide, we’ll walk you through deploying Care, on DigitalOcean. We’ll keep things simple & you can simply follow along to get your instance up and running. Expect the process to take about an hour, depending on your familiarity with the tools.

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Prerequisites

• A DigitalOcean account (Sign up here).
• A fork of the Care backend and frontend repositories.
• A registered domain name (optional but recommended).
• Basic familiarity with DigitalOcean's App Platform and Spaces.

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What You’ll Be Doing

We’ll guide you step by step to:

• Set up a PostgreSQL database for secure data storage.
• Configure DigitalOcean Spaces for handling files and media.
• Deploy the Care backend with Redis and Celery for task management.
• Set up the Care frontend for users to access.
• Secure the setup with custom domains, API keys, and SSL.
• Setup a CI/CD Pipeline for Continuous Deployment

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Ready to Start?

Grab a coffee and prepare to bring your Care application to life on DigitalOcean. Let’s dive in! 🌟

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Step 1: Create the Database

1. Navigate to Databases:

   • Log in to DigitalOcean and go to the Databases section.

2. Create a PostgreSQL Database:

   • Click Create Database.
   • Choose the following:
     • Region: Select the nearest data center.
     • Engine: PostgreSQL (Version 16).
     • Resources: Select a plan based on your requirements.
     • Name: Give your database a unique name.
     • Tags: Add tags for organization.

3. Save Connection Details:

   • Once the database is created, note the connection URL for later use.

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Step 2: Set Up Object Storage (Spaces)

1. Navigate to Spaces:

   • Go to the Spaces section in DigitalOcean.

2. Create a New Space:

   • Click Create a Space.
   • Choose:
     • Region: Select the same region as your database.
     • Enable CDN: For faster file delivery.
     • Bucket Name: Enter a unique name.
     • Project: Select the default project.
     • Create: Click to Create a Spaces Bucket create the space.

3. Generate API Keys:

   • Go to the API tab and click Spaces Keys.
   • Create a new key pair and save the Key and Secret.

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Step 3: Deploy the Care Backend (BE)

Step 3.1: Deploy Redis

1. Set Up Redis:
   • Go to the App Platform and click Create App.
   • Choose Docker Hub as the source and use:
     • Repository: redis/redis-stack-server.
     • Tag: 6.2.6-v10.
     • Port: Expose 6379 as an internal port.
   • Name the component redis.
2. Name and Deploy:
   • Name the App care-backend and deploy it.

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Step 3.2: Deploy the Care Backend

1. Fork and Clone the Repository:

   • Fork the Care Backend Repository.
   • Use the production branch for deployment.

2. Set Up the App:

   • Click Create App and choose From Source Code.
   • Select your forked repo and branch.
   • Set the build and run commands:
     • Build Command:

       python install_plugins.py && python manage.py collectstatic --noinput && python manage.py compilemessages
     • Run Command:

       gunicorn config.wsgi:application --workers 2 --bind :9000
     

3. Environment Variables:

   • Add the following as global environment variables:

     DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=config.settings.production
     DATABASE_URL=<db-url> # Use the connection URL from Step 1.
     REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
     CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=["https://care.example.com","http://localhost:4000"","http://127.0.0.1:4000"]
     CELERY_BROKER_URL=redis://redis:6379
     REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
     BUCKET_PROVIDER=DIGITAL_OCEAN
     BUCKET_REGION=nyc3 # Use the region of your Spaces.
     BUCKET_KEY=  # Use the Spaces key.
     BUCKET_SECRET= # Use the Spaces secret.
     BUCKET_HAS_FINE_ACL=True
     FILE_UPLOAD_BUCKET=example-space-ohc # Use the name of your Space.
     FILE_UPLOAD_BUCKET_ENDPOINT=https://example-space-ohc.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com
     FACILITY_S3_BUCKET=example-space-ohc # Use the name of your Space.
     FACILITY_S3_BUCKET_ENDPOINT=https://example-space-ohc.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com
     JWKS_BASE64= # Add your JWKS key. (Refer to the next section to create one.)
     DISABLE_COLLECTSTATIC=1

Generate JWKS Key

Generating JWKS...

4. Expose Ports:
   • Expose 9000 for public HTTP access.

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Step 3.3: Add a Domain for the Backend

1. Configure Domain:

   • Go to the app settings and add your domain (e.g., care-api.example.com).

   • Update your DNS provider with the CNAME record.

     

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Step 3.4: Set Up Celery Worker and Beat

1. Celery Worker:
   • Create a new component in the app.
   • Use:
     • Run Command:

       celery --app=config.celery_app worker --max-tasks-per-child=6 -B --loglevel=info
     
2. Celery Beat:
   • Create another component with:
     • Run Command:

       python manage.py migrate && python manage.py load_redis_index
     

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Step 4: Deploy the Care Frontend (FE)

1. Fork the Frontend Repo:

   • Fork the Care Frontend Repository.
   • Use the production branch.

2. Set Up the App:

   • Click Create App and configure:
     • Type: Static Site.
     • Build Command: npm run build.
     • Environment Variable:

       REACT_APP_API_URL=https://care-api.example.com
     • Output Directory: Auto.

3. Add Domain:

   • Go to app settings and add the frontend domain (e.g., care.example.com).

     

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Step 5: Secure Database Access

1. Restrict Access:

   • Navigate to the Database settings.

   • Add the Care backend app as a trusted source.

     

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Step 6: Configure CORS for Spaces

1. Go to Bucket Settings:

   • Open your bucket in Spaces.

   • Add the following CORS configuration:

     [
       {
         "AllowedHeaders": ["*"],
         "AllowedMethods": ["GET", "POST", "PUT", "DELETE"],
         "AllowedOrigins": ["https://example.com"],
         "ExposeHeaders": []
       }
     ]

     

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Final Steps

• Verify Deployment:

  • Test the backend and frontend by accessing the respective domains.
  • Ensure all components (Redis, Celery Worker, Beat) are running.

• Optimize Security:

  • Use SSL certificates (e.g., Let’s Encrypt) to enable HTTPS.

  • Configure firewall rules to restrict access.

    

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Conclusion

You’ve successfully deployed the Care application on DigitalOcean! With the database, object storage, backend, and frontend configured, your application is ready for use. 🚀

For troubleshooting, feel free to join our Community on Slack at slack.ohc.network; You may also refer to the official DigitalOcean Documentation for anything question about Digital Ocean