DEPLOYMENT.md

CareNet Deployment Guide

This guide covers deploying CareNet to production on Vercel.

📋 Quick Start

You can deploy CareNet immediately without any API keys! The app works with demo mode for AI features. Add API keys later when you're ready for real AI capabilities.

📚 Read the complete API Keys & Cost Guide → for detailed pricing and setup.

Prerequisites

1. Vercel Account: Sign up at vercel.com
2. GitHub Repository: Push your code to GitHub
3. API Keys (Optional - see below):
   • Dedalus API Key (for real card scanning & triage) - ~$20/mo for 1,000 users
   • ElevenLabs API Key and Agent ID (for AI booking agent) - ~$60/mo for 1,000 users

Step 1: Prepare Your Repository

Make sure your code is pushed to GitHub:

git add .
git commit -m "Prepare for production deployment"
git push origin main

Step 2: Deploy Backend to Vercel

The FastAPI backend can be deployed alongside the frontend.

1. Navigate to your backend directory:

cd backend

2. Create a vercel.json in the backend directory:

{
  "builds": [
    {
      "src": "main.py",
      "use": "@vercel/python"
    }
  ],
  "routes": [
    {
      "src": "/(.*)",
      "dest": "main.py"
    }
  ]
}

3. Create a requirements.txt if not already present:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

Step 3: Deploy Frontend to Vercel

Option 1: Deploy via Vercel CLI

1. Install Vercel CLI:

npm i -g vercel

2. Navigate to frontend directory:

cd frontend

3. Deploy:

vercel

4. Follow the prompts to link your project

Option 2: Deploy via Vercel Dashboard

1. Go to vercel.com/new
2. Import your GitHub repository
3. Select the frontend directory as the root
4. Configure environment variables (see below)
5. Click "Deploy"

Step 4: Configure Environment Variables (Optional)

The app works without any API keys! You can deploy first and add keys later.

Option 1: Deploy Without API Keys (Free)

No configuration needed! Your app will:

• ✅ Show all hospitals and facilities
• ✅ Display cost estimates and insurance info
• ✅ Provide maps and directions
• ✅ Use demo mode for card scanning (shows sample data)
• ✅ Use demo mode for voice triage (keyword-based)
• ✅ Allow direct phone calls to hospitals

Monthly cost: $0

Option 2: Add Real AI Features

In your Vercel project settings → Environment Variables, add:

For Real Card Scanning & Voice Triage (~$20/mo for 1k users)

DEDALUS_API_KEY=your-dedalus-api-key-here

Get your key at dedaluslabs.ai

For AI Booking Agent (~$60/mo for 1k users)

ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your-elevenlabs-api-key-here
ELEVENLABS_AGENT_ID=your-agent-id-here
ELEVENLABS_AGENT_PHONE_NUMBER_ID=your-phone-number-id-here

How to get ElevenLabs credentials:

1. Sign up at elevenlabs.io
2. Navigate to "Conversational AI" in the dashboard
3. Create a new AI agent for appointment booking
4. Configure the agent with appropriate prompts for medical appointment scheduling
5. Get your API key from Settings → API Keys
6. Get your Agent ID and Phone Number ID from the agent settings

Recommendation: Start without API keys (free), add Dedalus when you have users, add ElevenLabs when you need booking automation.

Optional Variables

# Override the backend API URL if hosting separately
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=/api

# Enable demo mode for testing (no real calls made)
ELEVENLABS_DEMO_MODE=false

# Override phone number for testing
# ELEVENLABS_CALL_TO_NUMBER_OVERRIDE=+15551234567

Step 5: Configure Custom Domain (Optional)

1. In Vercel Dashboard, go to Settings > Domains
2. Add your custom domain
3. Configure DNS records as instructed
4. Wait for SSL certificate to be issued

Step 6: Configure Backend API Proxy

The frontend is configured to proxy API requests to the backend. Ensure your next.config.ts has the following:

async rewrites() {
  return [
    {
      source: '/api/:path*',
      destination: process.env.BACKEND_URL || 'http://localhost:8000/:path*',
    },
  ];
}

For production, you may want to deploy the backend separately and set BACKEND_URL to your backend's URL.

Step 7: Verify Deployment

After deployment:

1. Visit your deployment URL
2. Test insurance card scanning
3. Test voice triage
4. Test hospital search and filtering
5. Test appointment booking (use demo mode if needed)
6. Test payment flow

Troubleshooting

Build Errors

If you encounter build errors:

1. Check that all environment variables are set
2. Verify package.json dependencies are up to date
3. Check build logs in Vercel Dashboard

API Connection Issues

If the frontend can't connect to the backend:

1. Verify NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL is set correctly
2. Check CORS settings in backend/main.py
3. Ensure backend is deployed and accessible

Environment Variable Issues

If features aren't working:

1. Verify all required API keys are set in Vercel
2. Check that variable names match exactly (case-sensitive)
3. Redeploy after adding/changing variables

Production Checklist

Before going live:

• All environment variables configured
• Custom domain configured (optional)
• SSL certificate active
• Backend API accessible
• Insurance card scanning tested
• Voice triage tested
• Hospital search tested
• Appointment booking tested
• Payment processing tested
• Error logging configured
• Analytics configured (optional)

Monitoring

Consider setting up:

1. Vercel Analytics: Built-in performance monitoring
2. Error Tracking: Sentry or similar service
3. API Monitoring: Track backend performance
4. User Analytics: Google Analytics or similar

Scaling Considerations

As your user base grows:

1. Database: Migrate from JSON to PostgreSQL or similar
2. Caching: Add Redis for frequently accessed data
3. CDN: Leverage Vercel's edge network
4. Backend: Consider containerizing and deploying to AWS/GCP

Support

For issues:

1. Check Vercel deployment logs
2. Review browser console for errors
3. Verify all API keys are valid
4. Contact support for specific service issues

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CareNet is now live! 🚀