Merge pull request #51 from JemimahEkong/docs/deployment.md

docs: add deployment guide for Render (backend) and Vercel (frontend)

Author: ritik4ever

DEPLOYMENT.md

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+#  Deployment Guide
+
+This guide explains how to deploy the **Stellar Goal Vault** project:
+
+- **Backend → Render**
+- **Frontend → Vercel**
+
+---
+
+##  Backend Deployment (Render)
+
+### 1. Create a Render Web Service
+- Go to https://render.com
+- Click **New → Web Service**
+- Connect your GitHub repository
+
+---
+
+### 2. Configure the Service
+
+- **Root Directory:** `backend` *(update if your backend folder name differs)*
+
+- **Build Command:**
+```bash
+npm install && npm run build
+```
+Start Command:
+```bash
+npm start
+```
+### 3. Environment Variables
+
+Add the following variables in Render:
+```env
+PORT=3000
+ALLOWED_ASSETS=USDC,XLM,ARS
+SOROBAN_RPC_URL=https://soroban-testnet.stellar.org:443
+CONTRACT_ID=your_contract_id
+```
+### 4. Database Notes 
+
+This project uses SQLite (`better-sqlite3`), which is file-based.
+
+- SQLite does NOT persist reliably on Render
+- Data may reset on redeploy
+
+Recommended:
+Use a hosted database for production:
+
+- PostgreSQL (Neon, Supabase)
+- MongoDB Atlas
+
+### 5. Deployment Tips
+- Ensure your Soroban contract is deployed before running backend
+- Keep your `CONTRACT_ID` secure
+- Confirm API is accessible after deployment
+
+
+## Frontend Deployment (Vercel)
+
+### 1. Import Project
+- Go to https://vercel.com
+- Click Add New Project
+- Import your GitHub repository
+
+### 2. Configure Project
+- Root Directory: `frontend` (update if different)
+
+Build Command:
+```bash
+npm run build
+```
+Output Directory:
+```bash
+dist
+```
+
+### 3. Environment Variables
+Add:
+```env
+VITE_API_URL=https://your-backend-url.onrender.com
+```
+
+### 4. Deploy
+
+Click Deploy and wait for build to complete.
+
+## Connecting Frontend to Backend
+- Deploy backend first
+- Copy backend URL from Render
+- Set it as `VITE_API_URL` in Vercel
+- Redeploy frontend if needed
+
+
+## Troubleshooting
+Backend not responding
+- Check logs in Render dashboard
+- Confirm environment variables are set correctly
+
+Frontend not calling API
+- Verify `VITE_API_URL` is correct
+- Ensure backend allows CORS requests
+
+Data not persisting
+- This is due to SQLite
+- Switch to a hosted database for production
+
+## Summary
+- Backend runs on Render using Node.js + Express
+- Frontend runs on Vercel using Vite + React
+- Environment variables must be configured correctly
+- SQLite is suitable for development but not production
+
+
+
+