Deployment Guide

This guide covers deploying the Multi-API Server to Dokku on your production server.

Prerequisites

• Dokku server running on 104.248.219.197
• Domain configured: app.lobott.com with wildcard DNS
• SSH access to the server
• Git repository with your application code

Deployment Steps

1. Prepare Your Application

Ensure your application has the required files:

• package.json with proper dependencies and scripts
• Procfile specifying how to start your app
• app.js as your main application file

2. Create Dokku App

SSH into your server and create the application:

ssh root@104.248.219.197
dokku apps:create api

3. Add Git Remote

From your local project directory:

git remote add dokku dokku@104.248.219.197:api

4. Deploy Application

Push your code to Dokku:

git push dokku main

5. Configure Domain

Add your custom domain:

ssh root@104.248.219.197
dokku domains:add api api.app.lobott.com

6. Enable SSL

Enable Let's Encrypt SSL certificate:

dokku letsencrypt:enable api

Environment Configuration

Set any required environment variables:

dokku config:set api NODE_ENV=production
dokku config:set api PORT=3000

Verification

After deployment, verify your application:

1. Health Check: Visit https://api.app.lobott.com/health
2. API Endpoints: Test https://api.app.lobott.com/api
3. Web Interface: Check https://api.app.lobott.com

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Build Fails

• Check your package.json for correct dependencies
• Ensure Procfile has the correct start command
• Verify Node.js version compatibility

App Won't Start

• Check logs: dokku logs api --tail
• Verify port configuration in your app
• Ensure all dependencies are properly installed

SSL Issues

• Verify domain DNS points to your server
• Check Let's Encrypt status: dokku letsencrypt:list
• Retry SSL: dokku letsencrypt:enable api

Manual Recovery

If standard deployment fails, use manual Docker method:

# Create deployment archive
tar -czf app.tar.gz --exclude='.git' --exclude='node_modules' .

# Upload to server
scp app.tar.gz root@104.248.219.197:/tmp/

# Manual Docker deployment
ssh root@104.248.219.197 '
cd /tmp && rm -rf api-deploy && mkdir api-deploy && cd api-deploy &&
tar -xzf /tmp/app.tar.gz &&
docker build -t dokku/api:new . &&
docker stop api.web.1 2>/dev/null || true &&
docker rm api.web.1 2>/dev/null || true &&
docker run -d --name api.web.1 --restart=always -p 3000 --label=dokku=api dokku/api:new npm start
'

Updates and Maintenance

Deploying Updates

# Make changes to your code
git add .
git commit -m "Update: description of changes"

# Deploy updates
git push dokku main

Monitoring

• Logs: dokku logs api --tail
• Status: dokku ps:report api
• Health: curl https://api.app.lobott.com/health

Scaling

If needed, scale your application:

dokku ps:scale api web=2

Auto-Recovery Setup

For automatic recovery after server restarts, consider setting up a systemd service similar to your Thai Rhyme API setup.

Create /etc/systemd/system/api-auto-recovery.service:

[Unit]
Description=Multi-API Auto-Recovery Service
After=docker.service
Requires=docker.service

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStartPre=/bin/sleep 30
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/api-auto-fix.sh
RemainAfterExit=true

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Security Considerations

• Keep dependencies updated
• Monitor logs for unusual activity
• Use environment variables for sensitive data
• Enable firewall rules as needed

Performance Optimization

• Use compression middleware (already included)
• Monitor memory usage via /api/stats
• Consider scaling horizontally if traffic increases
• Use nginx caching if needed (handled by Dokku)

This deployment pattern follows the same proven approach used for your Thai Rhyme API, ensuring reliability and consistency.