Deploying to Fly.io

This guide covers the steps to deploy the BarakoCMS API and Admin Dashboard to Fly.io.

Prerequisites

1. Install Flyctl:

   • macOS: brew install flyctl
   • Linux: curl -L https://fly.io/install.sh | sh
   • Windows: pwsh -Command "iwr https://fly.io/install.ps1 | iex"

2. Login to Fly.io:

   fly auth login

1. Deploying the Backend API

Step 1: Initialize the App

Run this in the root of the barakoCMS project (where the Dockerfile is located).

fly launch

• Select "Yes" to copy configuration if prompted.
• Do not deploy yet; we need to set secrets.

Step 2: Set Secrets

Configure your critical environment variables as secrets.

fly secrets set \
  DATABASE_URL="postgres://..." \
  JWT__Key="your-long-secure-key" \
  CORS__AllowedOrigins="https://your-admin-app.fly.dev"

Step 3: Performance Scaling (Mandatory)

BarakoCMS is a high-performance application (using Marten and background seeding) and MUST be scaled to at least 1GB of RAM to prevent startup crashes (OOM Killed).

fly scale memory 1024

Note: The default 256MB/512MB is insufficient for the initial data seeding process.

Step 4: Deploy

fly deploy --remote-only

TIP

Fly.io secrets are automatically injected as environment variables. BarakoCMS uses the __ (double underscore) separator to map to nested JSON configuration.

• CORS:AllowedOrigins becomes CORS__AllowedOrigins
• Kubernetes:Enabled becomes Kubernetes__Enabled (Default: false)

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2. Deploying the Admin Dashboard

The Admin UI is a Next.js application. Navigate to the admin folder before launching.

Step 1: Initialize

cd admin
fly launch

Step 2: Configure Environment

Set the API URL for the frontend.

fly secrets set NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL="https://your-api-app.fly.dev"

Step 3: Scale & Deploy

Scale to 512MB for reliable Next.js server-side rendering.

fly scale memory 512
fly deploy --remote-only

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FAQ & Common Issues

1. The "Confirm" button is unclickable or hangs.

Cause: Usually a CORS block or the API is unresponsive due to memory pressure. Fix:

• Ensure CORS__AllowedOrigins on the API matches your Admin UI URL exactly.
• Verify API logs: fly logs -a <your-api-app>. If you see "OOM Killed", scale memory to 1GB.

2. Login returns "400 Bad Request".

Cause: Validation error or database connection issue. Fix:

• Check API logs to see which field failed validation.
• Ensure DATABASE_URL is correct and the database is reachable.

3. API Health check returns 502/503.

Cause: Startup hang or port mismatch. Fix:

• BarakoCMS listens on port 8080 by default. Ensure fly.toml matches this internal_port.
• If OOM crashes persist, verify scaling: fly scale show.

4. Kubernetes Logs/Monitoring is missing.

Cause: Config-Driven Control is enabled. Fix:

• By default, Kubernetes:Enabled is false to prevent errors on non-K8s platforms (like Fly.io).
• To enable: fly secrets set Kubernetes__Enabled="true".

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Monthly Cost Estimation (Fly.io)

Component	Machine Type	RAM	Estimated Monthly Cost
API Server	shared-cpu-1x	1024 MB	~$5.70
Admin UI	shared-cpu-1x	512 MB	~$3.50
Postgres	shared-cpu-1x	512 MB	~$3.50
Total			~$12.70

Note: Fly.io offers a free allowance that might cover a portion of these costs depending on your usage and region.

Suggested Resources

• Fly.io Documentation
• Next.js Deployment on Fly
• Marten Data Persistence