Gov_Travel_App/documents/DEPLOYMENT.md

Deployment Guide

🚀 Quick Start (Node.js)

Prerequisites

• Node.js 14+ installed
• npm installed

Installation & Run

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the server
npm start

The application will be available at: http://localhost:5001

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🐳 Docker Deployment

Prerequisites

• Docker installed
• Docker Compose installed (optional)

Option 1: Docker Build & Run

# Build the Docker image
docker build -t govt-travel-estimator .

# Run the container
docker run -d --env-file .env -p 5001:5001 --name govt-travel-app govt-travel-estimator

Option 2: Docker Compose (Recommended)

# Start the container
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Stop the container
docker-compose down

Verify Deployment

# Check container status
docker ps

# View logs
docker logs govt-travel-estimator

# Test the application
curl http://localhost:5001

Note: Docker builds can run without Amadeus credentials. When the API keys are missing, flight search falls back to curated sample flights (see data/sampleFlights.json) so you can still exercise the UI. Add AMADEUS_API_KEY and AMADEUS_API_SECRET later to unlock live pricing. Make sure you create a .env file based on .env.example and the Compose service loads it via env_file, or pass it via --env-file when using docker run.

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🌐 Access Points

Once deployed, access the application:

• Main Application: http://localhost:5001
• Validation Dashboard: http://localhost:5001/validation.html

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🔧 Configuration

Change Port

In server.js:

const PORT = 5001; // Change this value

In docker-compose.yml:

ports:
  - "5001:5001" # Change first value (host port)

---

📁 File Structure

Govt Travel App/
├── server.js              # Express server
├── package.json           # Dependencies
├── Dockerfile            # Docker configuration
├── docker-compose.yml    # Docker Compose config
├── index.html            # Main app
├── validation.html       # Validation dashboard
├── styles.css            # Styling
├── script.js             # Application logic
└── data/                 # Rate databases
    ├── perDiemRates.json
    ├── accommodationRates.json
    └── transportationRates.json

---

🔄 Updating Rate Databases

Without Stopping Server

If using Docker with volume mount:

# Edit the JSON files in ./data/
# Changes are reflected immediately (read-only mount)

With Server Restart

# Stop the server
npm stop  # or docker-compose down

# Update JSON files in ./data/

# Restart the server
npm start  # or docker-compose up -d

---

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

# Windows
netstat -ano | findstr :5001
taskkill /PID <PID> /F

# Linux/Mac
lsof -ti:5001 | xargs kill -9

Cannot Find Module 'express'

npm install

Docker Container Won't Start

# Check logs
docker logs govt-travel-estimator

# Remove and rebuild
docker-compose down
docker-compose up --build

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🔒 Production Considerations

Security

• Add HTTPS/SSL certificate
• Enable CORS policies
• Add rate limiting
• Implement authentication (if needed)

Performance

• Enable gzip compression
• Add caching headers
• Use CDN for static assets
• Implement load balancing

Monitoring

• Add logging system
• Implement health checks
• Set up uptime monitoring
• Configure alerts

---

📊 Server Commands

Development

npm start           # Start server
npm run dev         # Start in dev mode (same as start)

Docker

docker-compose up           # Start with logs
docker-compose up -d        # Start in background
docker-compose down         # Stop and remove
docker-compose restart      # Restart services
docker-compose logs -f      # Follow logs

---

🌍 Deployment Options

Local Network Access

To access from other devices on your network:

1. Find your IP address:

   # Windows
   ipconfig
   
   # Linux/Mac
   ifconfig
   

2. Update server.js:

   app.listen(PORT, '0.0.0.0', () => {
       // Server accessible on network
   });
   

3. Access from other devices:

   http://<your-ip>:5001
   

Cloud Deployment

Heroku:

heroku create govt-travel-estimator
git push heroku main

AWS/Azure/GCP:

• Use container services (ECS, App Service, Cloud Run)
• Deploy Docker image
• Configure port 5001

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✅ Health Check

Verify the server is running:

# Command line
curl http://localhost:5001

# Browser
Open: http://localhost:5001

Expected: Application loads successfully

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📝 Environment Variables

Create .env file for configuration:

PORT=5001
NODE_ENV=production
LOG_LEVEL=info

Update server.js to use:

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 5001;

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🔄 Auto-Restart on Changes

Using nodemon for development:

# Install nodemon
npm install --save-dev nodemon

# Update package.json
"scripts": {
  "start": "node server.js",
  "dev": "nodemon server.js"
}

# Run with auto-restart
npm run dev

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Deployment Guide Version: 1.0
Last Updated: October 30, 2025
Port: 5001
Protocol: HTTP