Deploy Replit Apps

Overview

Move your Replit prototype to production with Chita Cloud. Keep coding in Replit, deploy to enterprise-grade infrastructure.

What is Replit?

Replit is a collaborative browser-based IDE that makes coding accessible. Great for prototyping, but production needs dedicated infrastructure.

Why Move to Production?

Replit Limitations:

• Apps sleep after inactivity
• Limited to 0.5 vCPU on free tier
• No custom domains on free tier
• No Redis/PostgreSQL included
• Public workspace visibility

Chita Cloud Benefits:

• Always-on infrastructure
• Custom domains + SSL included
• Redis cache included
• PostgreSQL from €7/month
• Private deployments

Deployment Steps

Step 1: Prepare Your Replit Project

1. Test your app in Replit
2. Ensure all dependencies in requirements.txt (Python) or package.json (Node.js)
3. Note environment variables you're using

Step 2: Push to GitHub

From Replit:

1. Click the Git icon in left sidebar (or use Shell)
2. Initialize git if needed:

   git init
   git add .
   git commit -m "Initial commit"

3. Create GitHub repository at github.com
4. Add remote and push:

   git remote add origin git@github.com:yourusername/your-repo.git
   git push -u origin main

Or use Replit's GitHub Integration:

1. Click "Version Control" in Replit
2. Click "Connect to GitHub"
3. Authorize and create new repository
4. Replit handles the push automatically

Step 3: Deploy to Chita Cloud

1. Go to app.chitacloud.com
2. Click "Deploy" button
3. Select "GitHub Repository"
4. Authorize GitHub (first time)
5. Choose your Replit repository
6. Select main branch
7. We auto-detect your runtime:
   • Python (Flask, FastAPI, Django)
   • Node.js (Express, Next.js)
   • Go (if you have .go files)

Step 4: Configure Build Settings

For Python apps:

• Handler auto-detected from main.py, app.py, or server.py
• Requirements.txt dependencies installed automatically
• Python version: 3.9, 3.10, or 3.11

For Node.js apps:

• Package.json scripts auto-detected
• Dependencies installed with npm/yarn
• Node version: 16, 18, 20, or 22

Step 5: Add Environment Variables

1. Go to "Environment Variables" tab
2. Copy variables from Replit Secrets:
   • API keys
   • Database URLs
   • Third-party credentials
3. Click "Save"
4. Service auto-redeploys

Step 6: Add Database (Optional)

If your Replit app uses Replit DB, migrate to PostgreSQL:

1. Click "Add-ons" tab
2. Add PostgreSQL (100MB free, or from €7/month)
3. Copy DATABASE_URL from environment variables
4. Migrate data from Replit DB to PostgreSQL

Redis is included in all paid plans for sessions/caching.

PostgreSQL guide: Database setup | Redis info: Cache configuration

Step 7: Add Custom Domain

1. Go to "Domains" tab
2. Add your domain
3. Configure DNS as instructed
4. SSL issued automatically
5. Now accessible at yourdomain.com instead of replit.dev

Full guide: Custom Domains

Common Replit Patterns

Flask App

# Your Replit Flask app works as-is
from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)
 
@app.route('/')
def home():
    return "Hello from Chita Cloud!"
 
if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=5000)

Deploy with runtime: Python

Express.js App

// Your Replit Express app works as-is
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
 
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello from Chita Cloud!');
});
 
const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(port, () => console.log(`Server running on port ${port}`));

Deploy with runtime: Node.js

Pricing Comparison

Replit Costs:

• Free: Apps sleep, 0.5 vCPU, no custom domains
• Core: $15/month, always-on, 2 vCPU
• No included database or Redis

Chita Cloud:

• Freelancer Starter: €16/month
  • Always-on
  • Custom domains + SSL
  • Redis included
  • 100MB PostgreSQL free (or 1GB for +€7/month)

Total cost: €16-23/month vs. Replit Core ($15) + database ($25) = Save ~€15/month

Migration Checklist

• Test app works in Replit
• Push code to GitHub
• Deploy to Chita Cloud
• Add environment variables
• Add PostgreSQL if needed
• Test production deployment
• Add custom domain
• Update DNS records
• Monitor logs and performance

Troubleshooting

Port Configuration

Chita Cloud provides PORT environment variable:

# Python
port = int(os.environ.get('PORT', 5000))
 
# Node.js
const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;

Replit DB Migration

Replit DB is key-value storage. For PostgreSQL:

# Old (Replit DB)
from replit import db
db["key"] = "value"
 
# New (PostgreSQL with SQLAlchemy)
from sqlalchemy import create_engine
engine = create_engine(os.environ['DATABASE_URL'])
# Use proper SQL tables

Missing Dependencies

Ensure all imports are in:

• requirements.txt for Python
• package.json for Node.js

Next Steps

• Environment Variables
• PostgreSQL Setup
• Custom Domains
• Git Integration