## Version Support

This tutorial assumes use of [LeafPHP](https://leafphp.dev/) >= 3.0 and PHP >=7.0.

## What Are We Building?

This experiment will guide you deploying your first LeafMVC application to Digital Ocean using DeployHQ for automated deployments. A majority of the same steps apply to Leaf v3 core as well.

## Prerequisites

Before continuing, ensure you have:

- A Digital Ocean account
- A GitHub (or similar) repository for your Leaf application
- A DeployHQ account

## 1. Setup DeployHQ

1. Log into DeployHQ
2. Create a new project
3. Connect your GitHub repository
4. Configure deployment settings:
   - Source branch (e.g., main)
   - Deployment path: `/var/www/$DOMAIN`
   - Add deployment commands (SSH):

```bash
     # This command can be done on the server itself or in the Build Pipeline
     composer install
     # Post deployment SSH Commands
     php leaf db:migrate
     php leaf db:seed
```
More info about SSH Commands, [here](https://www.deployhq.com/support/ssh-commands).

## 2. Create a New Droplet

From the control panel, click the green "Create" button and select droplet. We will create a VPS with the following options selected:

- Ubuntu: 20.04 (LTS)
- Plan: Basic
- CPU Options: Premium AMD or Regular Intel
- $6/mo package

### Authentication

It is highly recommended that you utilize SSH-based authentication. Select an existing key, or generate a new key, then add it.

## 3. Server Configuration for DeployHQ

### Create Deployment User

```bash
adduser deployhq
usermod -aG sudo deployhq
```

### Setup SSH Access

1. Generate SSH key for DeployHQ
2. Add public key to `~deployhq/.ssh/authorized_keys`
3. Set correct permissions:

```bash
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
```

## 4. Initial Droplet Setup

After your droplet has been created, you will need to login, secure it, and install required software.

### Create Admin User

```bash
ssh root@$DOMAIN
adduser username
usermod -aG sudo username
rsync --archive --chown=username:username ~/.ssh /home/username
```

Test the admin account: `su - username`

### Setup Firewall

Next, we will setup UFW - Ubuntu Firewall:

```bash
sudo ufw allow 22
sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw allow 443
sudo ufw enable
```

View firewall status: `sudo ufw status`

### Install Required Software

Update system software:

```bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
```

Install NGINX, PHP, MySQL, and curl:

```bash
sudo apt install nginx php-fpm php-mysql php-curl
```

#### NGINX Configuration

Ensure your NGINX configuration includes:

```nginx
server {
    server_name $DOMAIN www.$DOMAIN;
    root /var/www/$DOMAIN/public;
    index index.html index.htm index.php;
    location / {
        try_files $uri /index.php?$query_string;
    }
    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
    }
}
```

### Install MySQL

```bash
sudo apt install mysql-server
```
Please note that the db will be within the droplet, so you will need to have [backups](https://www.deployhq.com/blog/how-to-implement-server-backups-with-aws-s3) as well if it contains productive data.

## 5. DeployHQ Deployment Configuration

In DeployHQ project settings:

- Add server connection details
- Specify deployment path
- Configure automatic deployments (optional)

### Deployment Hooks

Add custom hooks in DeployHQ:

```bash
# Post-deployment script
cd /var/www/$DOMAIN
composer install
php leaf db:migrate
sudo systemctl restart nginx
```

## 6. Install Leaf Application

Clone your repository and install dependencies:

```bash
composer install
php leaf db:install
php leaf db:migrate
php leaf db:seed
```

## SSL Setup (Recommended)

```bash
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo systemctl reload nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d $DOMAIN -d www.$DOMAIN
```
When prompted, select Option 2 to force HTTPS traffic.

## Trigger First Deployment

1. Push changes to your repository
2. DeployHQ will automatically detect and deploy

## Additional Tips

- Use config files in DeployHQ for sensitive configurations
- Set up deployment notifications
- Configure rollback strategies

## Troubleshooting

- Ensure DeployHQ user has correct permissions
- Verify SSH key authentication
- Check deployment logs in DeployHQ dashboard

## Conclusion

You now have an automated deployment workflow for your Leaf application using Digital Ocean and DeployHQ!

### Scaling ⚡️

Should your application grow in requirements or traffic, you can always come back and increase your package selection.

Happy deploying!