## Before you deploy

Make sure these things are done:

- All features work locally
- Code is committed to git
- No hardcoded secrets in code (use env vars)
- You have a GitHub account

## Push to GitHub

If your code is not on GitHub yet, create a repository and push:

```
# Create a new repo on github.com first, then:
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/your-app.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main
```

## Deploy to Vercel

1. Go to [vercel.com](https://vercel.com/) and sign up with GitHub
2. Click "Add New Project"
3. Import your GitHub repository
4. Vercel auto-detects Next.js settings
5. Add your environment variables (same as .env.local)
6. Click "Deploy"

In 1-2 minutes, your app is live at a .vercel.app URL.

**Auto-deploy:** Every time you push to main, Vercel automatically deploys the new version. No manual steps needed.

## Environment variables

In Vercel dashboard, go to Settings > Environment Variables. Add each variable from your .env.local:

- NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL
- NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY
- Any other secrets your app needs

After adding variables, redeploy for them to take effect.

## Custom domain

To use your own domain instead of .vercel.app:

1. In Vercel, go to Settings > Domains
2. Add your domain (e.g., myapp.com)
3. Update DNS records at your domain registrar
4. Wait for DNS propagation (usually 5-30 minutes)

Vercel provides free SSL certificates automatically.

## Update Supabase for production

If using authentication, add your production URL to Supabase:

1. Go to Supabase dashboard > Authentication > URL Configuration
2. Add your production URL to "Site URL"
3. Add it to "Redirect URLs" as well

## Post-deploy checklist

- App loads at production URL
- Authentication works
- Database operations work
- No console errors in browser
- Shared the link with someone for feedback

## Congratulations!

Your app is live on the internet. Real users can now access it. This is a huge milestone - most people never ship anything.

But this is just the beginning. The next step is about improving your app based on feedback.