# 🚀 Deployment Alternatives for Client Demo
Since Vercel is designed for static sites and serverless functions (not long-running Python apps), here are **better alternatives** that work perfectly for FastAPI applications.
---
## 🎯 **Recommended: Render.com** (Easiest & Free)
**Why Render?**
- ✅ Free tier available
- ✅ Python/FastAPI support out of the box
- ✅ Simple deployment (connect GitHub)
- ✅ Automatic HTTPS
- ✅ Environment variables support
- ✅ Takes ~5 minutes to deploy
### Step 1: Prepare Your Code
Make sure you have a `requirements.txt` file (you already do!)
### Step 2: Deploy on Render
1. **Sign up** at [render.com](https://render.com) (free account)
2. **Create New Web Service**
- Click "New +" → "Web Service"
- Connect your GitHub repository (or upload zip)
3. **Configure Service**
```
Name: mcp-reasoning-engine
Environment: Python 3
Build Command: pip install -r requirements.txt
Start Command: python mcp_api_server.py
```
4. **Set Environment Variable**
- Go to "Environment" tab
- Add: `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` = `your_api_key_here`
5. **Deploy!**
- Click "Create Web Service"
- Wait 2-3 minutes for deployment
- Your API will be live at: `https://mcp-reasoning-engine.onrender.com`
### Step 3: Update Frontend
Deploy the `public/index.html` file on Vercel, and set the API URL to your Render URL!
---
## 🚂 **Alternative: Railway.app** (Also Easy & Free)
**Why Railway?**
- ✅ Free tier ($5 credit/month)
- ✅ Very simple deployment
- ✅ One-click deploy from GitHub
- ✅ Automatic HTTPS
### Deploy on Railway
1. **Sign up** at [railway.app](https://railway.app)
2. **New Project** → "Deploy from GitHub repo"
3. **Configure**
- Railway auto-detects Python
- Add environment variable: `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`
4. **Deploy!**
- Railway automatically detects your `mcp_api_server.py`
- Your API will be live at: `https://your-app.up.railway.app`
---
## 🪁 **Alternative: Fly.io** (Free Tier Available)
**Why Fly.io?**
- ✅ Free tier (3 shared VMs)
- ✅ Global edge network
- ✅ Good for demo/production
### Quick Deploy on Fly.io
1. **Install flyctl**:
```bash
# Windows PowerShell
powershell -Command "iwr https://fly.io/install.ps1 -useb | iex"
```
2. **Create `fly.toml`** (I'll create this for you)
3. **Deploy**:
```bash
fly auth login
fly launch
fly secrets set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here
fly deploy
```
---
## 💻 **Option: Local Demo + ngrok** (For Immediate Demo)
**Best for:** Showing client TODAY without deploying
### Step 1: Run Locally
```bash
python mcp_api_server.py
```
### Step 2: Expose with ngrok
```bash
# Install ngrok: https://ngrok.com/download
ngrok http 8000
```
This gives you a public URL like: `https://abc123.ngrok.io`
### Step 3: Update Frontend
Use the ngrok URL in your `public/index.html`
---
## 🌐 **Hybrid: Vercel Frontend + Backend Elsewhere**
This is the **BEST approach** for your situation:
### Backend → Render/Railway
- Deploy `mcp_api_server.py` on Render or Railway
- Get backend URL: `https://your-api.onrender.com`
### Frontend → Vercel
- Deploy the `public/index.html` file on Vercel
- Update API URL in the HTML to point to your backend
- Client sees beautiful UI on Vercel!
---
## 📝 Quick Deployment Script
I'll create a deployment helper script that you can use:
---
## ✅ **Recommended Path for Your Client Demo**
**Option 1: Fastest (30 minutes)**
1. Deploy backend on Render (free, 5 min setup)
2. Deploy frontend HTML on Vercel (2 min)
3. Connect them together
4. ✅ Demo ready!
**Option 2: Immediate (5 minutes)**
1. Run `python mcp_api_server.py` locally
2. Run `ngrok http 8000` to expose it
3. Update `public/index.html` with ngrok URL
4. Open the HTML file locally
5. ✅ Demo ready NOW!
---
## 🔧 What I've Created For You
1. **`public/index.html`** - Beautiful demo frontend (deploy on Vercel)
2. **`DEPLOYMENT_ALTERNATIVES.md`** - This guide
3. Deployment configs (coming next)
---
## 🚀 Next Steps
Choose your path:
- **Need it NOW?** → Use ngrok (5 minutes)
- **Have 30 minutes?** → Deploy on Render (most professional)
- **Want simplest?** → Use Railway (one-click deploy)
Let me know which option you prefer, and I'll create the specific deployment files!
