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API Deployment Guide

The Children's Church app now has a backend API that you can deploy to Render.com.

What the API Does

  • Stores quiz questions (accessible from all devices)
  • Tracks the current active question for students
  • Stores scripture lesson notes
  • Synchronizes data across multiple browsers/devices

Deploying to Render.com

Step 1: Prepare Your Repository

  1. Initialize git (if not already done):
cd /home/ishaglcy/public_html/yeladim.church
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit with API"
  1. Push to GitHub:
# Create a repository on GitHub first, then:
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/yeladim-church.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

Step 2: Deploy to Render.com

  1. Go to https://render.com and sign up/login

  2. Click "New +" and select "Web Service"

  3. Connect your GitHub account and select your repository

  4. Configure the service:

    • Name: yeladim-church-api
    • Root Directory: api
    • Environment: Node
    • Build Command: npm install
    • Start Command: npm start
    • Plan: Free

  5. Add environment variables:

  6. Click "Create Web Service"

Step 3: Get Your API URL

Once deployed, Render will give you a URL like:

https://yeladim-church-api.onrender.com

Step 4: Update Frontend

Update the frontend to use your API. Create an .env file in the root:

VITE_API_URL=https://yeladim-church-api.onrender.com

Then rebuild and redeploy your frontend:

npm run build
./deploy.sh

Local Development with API

  1. Start the API:
cd api
npm run dev
  1. Start the frontend (in another terminal):
npm run dev
  1. The frontend will be at http://localhost:5173
  2. The API will be at http://localhost:3001

Testing the API

Test with curl:

# Health check
curl https://your-api-url.onrender.com/health

# Get all questions
curl https://your-api-url.onrender.com/api/quiz/questions

# Get all notes
curl https://your-api-url.onrender.com/api/notes

Important Notes

Free Tier Limitations

Render.com's free tier has these limitations:

  • Service sleeps after 15 minutes of inactivity
  • First request after sleep takes 30-60 seconds (cold start)
  • Storage is ephemeral (data lost on service restart)

Persistent Storage Solutions

For production use, consider:

  1. Render Persistent Disk (Paid plan - $7/month)

    • Adds persistent storage to your service
    • Data survives restarts

  2. External Database (Free options available)

    • MongoDB Atlas (Free tier: 512MB)
    • Supabase PostgreSQL (Free tier: 500MB)
    • Update database.js to use the database

  3. Upgrade to Paid Plan ($7/month)

    • No sleep time
    • Persistent disk included
    • Better performance

Troubleshooting

API Not Responding

  • Check Render.com dashboard for errors
  • View logs in Render dashboard
  • Ensure environment variables are set correctly

CORS Errors

  • Make sure CORS_ORIGIN includes your frontend URL
  • Check that the frontend is using the correct API URL

Data Lost After Restart

  • This is expected on free tier
  • Upgrade to paid plan or use external database
  • For testing, data loss is acceptable

Next Steps

After deploying to Render:

  1. Test all API endpoints
  2. Update frontend with API URL
  3. Test quiz and notes features
  4. Consider upgrading for persistent storage if needed
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