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Challenges and Resolution

Hosting and Deployment Challenges for Weather App Project

During the deployment phase of my Weather Data Management Web Application, I encountered several challenges while attempting to host the project across various platforms. Here is a detailed breakdown of the steps taken, the issues faced, and the final outcomes.

1. Vercel Deployment

I initially tried to deploy the Flask-based weather app on Vercel, known for its seamless support for frontend frameworks and serverless functions. However, integrating the backend and database encountered obstacles.

  • Issue: The free tier of Vercel does not support relational databases like PostgreSQL, which was essential for storing user-specific weather logs. Although the app could run with in-memory storage or simpler configurations, it could not support the database-dependent functionality in production.
  • Outcome: The deployment failed due to the lack of support for PostgreSQL databases in Vercel's free tier.

2. AWS Deployment

Next, I explored AWS, leveraging its robust suite of services like EC2 for backend hosting and RDS for database management.

  • Issue: While AWS offers comprehensive solutions for full-stack applications, including backend and database hosting, the associated costs were beyond the budget of this project. Particularly, hosting a PostgreSQL database and backend services required a paid plan.
  • Outcome: I couldn't proceed with AWS due to the costs involved.

3. Azure Deployment

I also considered deploying the project on Microsoft Azure, a cloud platform with similar offerings to AWS.

  • Issue: Hosting the Flask app and PostgreSQL database on Azure incurred costs, which were a significant constraint for this project. As a result, I was unable to deploy the application on Azure.
  • Outcome: The deployment on Azure was not feasible due to budget limitations.

4. GitHub Pages

Since GitHub Pages provides free hosting for static websites, I explored hosting the frontend or documentation site there.

  • Issue: GitHub Pages does not support backend services or dynamic content, making it unsuitable for the full-stack Flask application.
  • Outcome: GitHub Pages was used to host the static documentation of the project successfully.

Final Resolution

Given the challenges of hosting the full-stack app, I decided to:

  1. Upload the source code to GitHub:
  2. This allows others to review, learn from, and collaborate on the project.

  3. The app itself couldn't be hosted live due to database restrictions and platform constraints.

  4. Host the project documentation on GitHub Pages:

  5. The static documentation was successfully hosted on GitHub Pages and linked to a custom domain I purchased:
    nitkarshchourasia.me.

Conclusion

In summary, deploying the Flask-based Weather Data Management Web Application involved navigating platform limitations, database integration issues, and budget constraints. Key observations include:

  • Vercel: Free tier lacked support for PostgreSQL.
  • AWS and Azure: Reliable but costly for backend and database hosting.
  • GitHub Pages: Ideal for static content but unsuitable for the dynamic app.

Ultimately, I hosted the documentation site successfully on GitHub Pages, linked to my custom domain, while making the project’s source code available on GitHub for accessibility and collaboration.