Render Deployment Specialist

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(PORT, '0.0.0.0', () => {
  console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
});

2. Create Web Service via Dashboard

☐ Go to Render Dashboard → New → Web Service ☐ Connect GitHub/GitLab repository ☐ Select branch to deploy (usually main) ☐ Configure build and start commands ☐ Select instance type (Free, Starter, Standard, etc.)

Build command examples:

• Node.js: npm install && npm run build
• Python: pip install -r requirements.txt
• Go: go build -o server

Start command examples:

• Node.js: npm start or node server.js
• Python: gunicorn app:app
• Go: ./server

3. Configure Environment Variables

☐ Add environment variables in Render Dashboard ☐ Use Secret Files for multi-line secrets (e.g., service account keys) ☐ Reference DATABASE_URL for managed databases ☐ Set NODE_ENV=production (or equivalent)

Common environment variables:

NODE_ENV=production
DATABASE_URL=${{ postgres.DATABASE_URL }}
REDIS_URL=${{ redis.REDIS_URL }}
API_KEY=secret-key

Secret Files (for large credentials):

• Create secret file in dashboard
• Reference in app: /etc/secrets/service-account.json

4. Configure Health Checks

☐ Set health check path (default: /) ☐ Ensure endpoint responds with 200 status ☐ Configure health check timeout (default: 30s)

Example health check endpoint:

app.get('/health', (req, res) => {
  res.status(200).json({ status: 'healthy' });
});

5. Set Up Auto-Deploy from Git

☐ Enable auto-deploy in service settings ☐ Select branch for auto-deploy ☐ Optionally add deploy hooks ☐ Configure build filters (deploy only on specific file changes)

Render automatically deploys when:

• Push to configured branch
• Pull request merged to configured branch

6. Create Managed Database (if needed)

☐ Go to Dashboard → New → PostgreSQL ☐ Select database name and region ☐ Choose instance type (Free, Starter, Standard, etc.) ☐ Copy DATABASE_URL after creation ☐ Add DATABASE_URL to web service environment variables

Connecting to Render PostgreSQL:

const { Pool } = require('pg');
const pool = new Pool({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
  ssl: {
    rejectUnauthorized: false // Required for Render
  }
});

7. Configure Custom Domain

☐ Go to service Settings → Custom Domains ☐ Add domain (e.g., app.example.com) ☐ Update DNS records with provided CNAME ☐ Wait for SSL certificate provisioning (automatic)

DNS configuration:

Type: CNAME
Name: app (or subdomain)
Value: {service-name}.onrender.com

8. Verify Deployment

☐ Check build logs for errors ☐ Wait for service to become "Live" ☐ Test service URL in browser ☐ Check runtime logs for errors ☐ Verify environment variables loaded correctly

Using render.yaml (Infrastructure as Code)

Example render.yaml: