Deploying a Python Full Stack App on AWS & GCP – A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction: The Importance of Cloud Deployment

Deploying applications in the cloud is a critical step in full-stack development. Cloud platforms like AWS (Amazon Web Services) and GCP (Google Cloud Platform) offer scalable, secure, and high-performance hosting solutions for Python full-stack applications. Whether you're building a Django or Flask-based backend with a frontend in React, Angular, or Vue.js, learning how to deploy on AWS or GCP will enhance your development expertise and job prospects.

Choosing the Right Cloud Platform: AWS vs. GCP

Both AWS and GCP provide robust services for hosting full-stack applications. Here's a quick comparison:

Feature	AWS	GCP
Popular Services	EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, Elastic Beanstalk	Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud Run, App Engine
Scalability	Auto Scaling, Load Balancer	Kubernetes Engine, Auto Scaling
Database Support	RDS (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB)	Cloud SQL, Firebase
Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Competitive pricing with free tier

Prerequisites Before Deployment

Before deploying your Python full-stack app, ensure you have:

• A Python backend (Django, Flask, FastAPI)

• A frontend (React, Angular, or Vue.js)

• A database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Firebase, or MongoDB)

• Cloud platform accounts on AWS or GCP

• GitHub repository for CI/CD deployment

Deploying on AWS

Step 1: Set Up an EC2 Instance

1. Log in to AWS and navigate to EC2 Dashboard.

2. Click Launch Instance and select an Ubuntu or Amazon Linux AMI.

3. Configure the instance, add security rules (port 80 for HTTP, 443 for HTTPS, and 22 for SSH), and launch.

4. Connect via SSH and install required packages:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3-pip nginx git -y

Step 2: Deploy Backend and Database

1. Clone your project repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-repo.git
   cd your-project

2. Create a virtual environment and install dependencies:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Set up a database (PostgreSQL/MySQL) and configure environment variables.

Step 3: Deploy Frontend

1. Install Node.js and build your frontend:

   sudo apt install nodejs npm -y
   cd frontend
   npm install
   npm run build

2. Move the build folder to /var/www/html/ for serving with Nginx.

Step 4: Configure Nginx for Reverse Proxy

1. Edit Nginx configuration:

   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

2. Add the following configuration:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name yourdomain.com;
   
       location / {
           root /var/www/html;
           index index.html;
       }
   
       location /api/ {
           proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
       }
   }

3. Restart Nginx:

   sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 5: Automate with AWS Elastic Beanstalk (Optional)

AWS Elastic Beanstalk simplifies deployment by handling load balancing, scaling, and monitoring. You can use:

eb init -p python-3.8 my-app
eb create my-env

Deploying on GCP

Step 1: Set Up a Compute Engine VM

1. Log in to Google Cloud Console and navigate to Compute Engine.

2. Create a new VM instance with Ubuntu or Debian OS.

3. Connect via SSH and install required dependencies:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3-pip git nginx -y

Step 2: Deploy Backend

1. Clone and install dependencies:

   git clone https://github.com/your-repo.git
   cd your-project
   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Start the Django/Flask application:

   python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Step 3: Deploy Frontend Using Cloud Storage

1. Build your frontend (npm run build) and upload to Google Cloud Storage:
   

   gsutil -m cp -r build gs://your-bucket-name/

2. Use Firebase Hosting or Cloud CDN to serve static files.

Step 4: Automate with GCP App Engine (Optional)

GCP App Engine provides an easy way to deploy full-stack apps:

gcloud app deploy

Conclusion: Take Your Deployment Skills to the Next Level

Deploying a Python full-stack application on AWS or GCP is a crucial skill for developers. Both platforms provide scalable, flexible, and secure cloud solutions that enable seamless deployment. By mastering these techniques, you can efficiently host your applications, optimize performance, and enhance security. Start deploying today and take your full-stack development career to the next level!