Module 10: Deployment & Final Touches

From Localhost to Live

You've built a complete, feature-rich web application on your local machine. The final step in the development process is **deployment**—moving your project from your local XAMPP environment to a live web server where anyone on the internet can access it. This module will walk you through the general steps required to deploy a PHP and MySQL application.

Step 1: Pre-Deployment Checklist

Before uploading your files, it's important to prepare your application for a live environment.

• Error Reporting: On your local machine, it's helpful to see all errors for debugging. On a live server, you should turn off detailed error display to users for security. You can set `error_reporting(0);` and `ini_set('display_errors', 0);` in a main configuration file. Errors should be logged to a file on the server instead.
• Configuration File: Your database credentials (`DB_USER`, `DB_PASSWORD`, etc.) will be different on the live server. It's best practice to have these in a single, secure configuration file (`includes/db.php` in our case) that is easy to update.
• Code Cleanup: Remove any test data, unnecessary comments, or debugging code (`var_dump`, `echo`, etc.) from your project.

Step 2: Exporting Your Local Database

You need to transfer the structure and data of your database from your local machine to the live server.

1. Open phpMyAdmin on your local server (http://localhost/phpmyadmin).
2. Select your `bakery_db` database from the left sidebar.
3. Click on the "Export" tab at the top.
4. Choose the "Quick" export method and make sure the format is set to "SQL".
5. Click the "Go" button. This will download a `.sql` file to your computer. This file contains all the commands needed to recreate your database and its data.

Step 3: Setting Up the Live Server

This process involves a hosting provider. For a PHP/MySQL application, a standard shared hosting plan is usually sufficient to get started.

1. Upload Files: Use an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client like FileZilla to connect to your web host. Upload all the files and folders of your `bakery-management-system` project into the `public_html` (or `www`) directory on your server.
2. Create Live Database: Log in to your hosting control panel (like cPanel). Find the "MySQL Databases" tool. Create a new database, a new database user, and assign that user to the database with full privileges. Make sure to note down the database name, username, and password.
3. Import Database: Open phpMyAdmin on your live server (usually accessible from the control panel). Select your newly created database, click the "Import" tab, choose the `.sql` file you exported earlier, and click "Go".
4. Update Connection Details: On the live server, edit your `includes/db.php` file and replace the local database credentials with the new live database credentials you just created.

Step 4: Final Testing and What's Next?

Navigate to your domain name in a web browser. Your Bakery Management System should now be live! Thoroughly test every feature:

• Can you register and log in?
• Are all CRUD operations for products, categories, and customers working?
• Can you place an order through the POS system?
• Are the reports and charts loading correctly?

Congratulations! You have successfully built and deployed a full-stack web application. You now have a powerful portfolio piece and a solid foundation in PHP, MySQL, and modern web development practices. From here, you can continue to add more features, such as email notifications for orders, more detailed analytics, or a customer-facing storefront.