Deploy Backend API on Heroku / Vercel

Introduction

Deploying your backend API allows your applications to be accessible online. This guide covers deployment on Heroku and Vercel for Node.js applications.

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Step 1: Prepare Your Project

• Ensure your Node.js project has a package.json and main entry file (index.js or server.js).
• Use environment variables for secrets and database URIs.

npm init -y
npm install express dotenv

• Create a Procfile for Heroku:

web: node index.js

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Step 2: Push Project to GitHub

1. Initialize git if not already done:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

2. Push to a new GitHub repository:

git remote add origin https://github.com/username/your-backend-api.git
git push -u origin main

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Step 3: Deploy on Heroku

1. Install Heroku CLI:

npm install -g heroku

2. Login and create a new Heroku app:

heroku login
heroku create your-app-name

3. Push your code to Heroku:

git push heroku main

4. Set environment variables on Heroku:

heroku config:set MONGO_URI="your_mongo_connection_string"
heroku config:set JWT_SECRET="your_secret_key"

5. Open your app:

heroku open

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Step 4: Deploy on Vercel

1. Install Vercel CLI:

npm i -g vercel

2. Login and deploy:

vercel login
vercel

3. During deployment:

• Select your project folder.
• Set the Node.js environment.
• Add environment variables in Vercel dashboard.

4. Once deployed, your API endpoint will be live with a Vercel URL.

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Step 5: Testing Your API

• Use Postman or Insomnia to send requests to your live API.
• Verify all endpoints work as expected.

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Step 6: Best Practices

• Use environment variables for sensitive data.
• Enable CORS if frontend is on a different domain.
• Monitor logs with heroku logs --tail or Vercel dashboard.
• Keep dependencies updated and secure.

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Conclusion

By following this tutorial, your backend API is now live and accessible globally. You can integrate it with frontend applications or other services.

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