# Deploying aethex.live to Railway

Railway is a great platform for hosting full-stack applications. Here's how to get your streaming platform running on Railway.

## Prerequisites

- Railway.app account (https://railway.app)
- GitHub repository connected to Railway
- Your streaming provider HLS URL

## Quick Deploy

### Option 1: Deploy from GitHub (Easiest)

1. Go to https://railway.app/dashboard
2. Click "New Project"
3. Select "Deploy from GitHub repo"
4. Choose your `aethex.live` repository
5. Configure:
   - **Build Command**: `npm install && npm run build`
   - **Start Command**: `npm start`
   - **Port**: `3000`

### Option 2: Deploy with Railway CLI

```bash
# Install Railway CLI
npm install -g @railway/cli

# Login to Railway
railway login

# Initialize Railway in your project
railway init

# Deploy
railway up
```

## Environment Variables in Railway

1. Go to your Railway project dashboard
2. Click "Variables" tab
3. Add these environment variables:

```
NEXT_PUBLIC_STREAM_URL=your-hls-stream-url.m3u8
NODE_ENV=production
```

### Optional (if implementing backends):

```
# Firebase
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_API_KEY=...
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=...

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...

# Chat
NEXT_PUBLIC_WEBSOCKET_URL=wss://your-railway-app.railway.app

# Authentication
NEXTAUTH_URL=https://your-railway-domain.railway.app
NEXTAUTH_SECRET=your-secret-key
```

## Database Setup (Optional)

If you want to use a database on Railway:

1. In your Railway project, click "Database"
2. Select **PostgreSQL**
3. Railway will automatically set `DATABASE_URL` environment variable
4. Connect your app to the database

## Custom Domain

1. Go to Railway project → Settings
2. Look for "Domains"
3. Add your custom domain: `aethex.live`
4. Update your DNS records to point to Railway's nameservers

Or use CNAME:
```
Name: aethex
Type: CNAME
Value: (provided by Railway)
```

## Monitoring & Logs

- **View Logs**: Railway Dashboard → Logs tab
- **Monitor Resources**: Railway Dashboard → Metrics tab
- **Configure Alerts**: Railway Dashboard → Settings → Alerts

## Troubleshooting

### Build fails
- Check build logs in Railway dashboard
- Verify `package.json` has all dependencies
- Ensure Node version is 20+ (Railway default is recent)

### Stream not loading
- Check `NEXT_PUBLIC_STREAM_URL` is set correctly
- Verify HLS URL is publicly accessible
- Check if CORS is enabled on your stream provider

### App crashes
- View logs in Railway for error messages
- Check if PORT is correctly set to 3000
- Ensure memory limit is sufficient (512MB+ recommended)

### Domain issues
- DNS changes can take 24-48 hours to propagate
- Verify CNAME/A record points to Railway
- Test with `nslookup aethex.live`

## Advanced Railway Configuration

Create a `railway.json` file for automatic deployments:

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://railway.app/schema.json",
  "build": {
    "builder": "nixpacks"
  },
  "deploy": {
    "startCommand": "npm start",
    "restartPolicyType": "on_failure",
    "restartPolicyMaxRetries": 3,
    "numReplicas": 1,
    "healthcheckPath": "/",
    "healthcheckTimeout": 30
  }
}
```

## Scaling

As your stream grows:

1. **Increase Memory**: Railway Dashboard → Settings → Instance Size
2. **Add More Instances**: Set `numReplicas` in railway.json
3. **Add CDN**: Use Cloudflare in front of Railway
4. **Database Optimization**: Add indexes, optimize queries

## Cost Optimization

Railway charges per hour for usage:
- **CPU**: $0.07/month per 1 CPU per hour active
- **Memory**: $0.07/month per 1GB per hour active

Estimate: ~$5-15/month for a small streaming app

Tips:
- Stop unused projects
- Use Railway's free tier ($5 credit/month)
- Monitor resource usage in Metrics tab
- Optimize build size: Use production builds

## CI/CD

Railway automatically deploys when you push to main:

1. Push code to GitHub
2. Railway detects changes
3. Auto-builds and deploys
4. Preview deployments for pull requests

Disable auto-deploy: Railway Dashboard → Settings → Auto Deploy

## Useful Railway Commands

```bash
# View project status
railway status

# View logs
railway logs

# Open dashboard
railway open

# Set environment variable
railway variables set NEXT_PUBLIC_STREAM_URL=your-url

# Deploy specific branch
railway deploy --branch staging
```

## Next Steps

1. ✅ Deploy to Railway
2. ✅ Add custom domain
3. Implement real chat backend (Firebase/WebSocket)
4. Add user authentication
5. Set up analytics
6. Monitor stream performance

## Support

- Railway Docs: https://docs.railway.app
- Next.js on Railway: https://docs.railway.app/guides/nextjs
- Community: https://discord.gg/railway

---

**Your stream is now on Railway! 🚀**