netlify_deployment_steps.md

Netlify Deployment Steps

This document outlines the steps to deploy the Educational Research Methods Chatbot to Netlify.

Prerequisites

• Netlify account
• GitHub account (optional, for continuous deployment)
• OpenAI API key for Command R+

Deployment Steps

1. Prepare the repository

   • Ensure all files are properly organized
   • Static files in src/static
   • Netlify functions in deployment/netlify/functions
   • Netlify configuration in deployment/netlify.toml

2. Create a new Netlify site

   • Log in to Netlify
   • Click "New site from Git" or "Import an existing project"
   • Connect to your Git provider (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)
   • Select the repository

3. Configure build settings

   • Build command: cp -r deployment/netlify/functions netlify/functions && cp deployment/netlify.toml netlify.toml
   • Publish directory: src/static

4. Set environment variables

   • Go to Site settings > Build & deploy > Environment
   • Add the following environment variables:
     • OPENAI_API_KEY: Your OpenAI API key

5. Deploy the site

   • Click "Deploy site"
   • Wait for the build and deployment to complete

6. Configure custom domain (optional)

   • Go to Site settings > Domain management
   • Click "Add custom domain"
   • Follow the instructions to set up your domain

Post-Deployment

1. Verify functionality

   • Test the chatbot by asking various questions
   • Ensure responses include proper citations
   • Test conversation context maintenance

2. Monitor usage

   • Check Netlify function logs for errors
   • Monitor OpenAI API usage

3. Update as needed

   • Push changes to your Git repository for automatic deployment
   • Or manually deploy updates through the Netlify dashboard