Deploying Your CS50 Flask App to Amazon Lightsail with Docker and Docker Hub

[Splendid Digital Solutions]

I have installed Docker Desktop. I have already a web application created on CS50 VS Code that is created with Python, SQLite, and Flask.I intend to migrate the web application to Amazon Lightsail while making use of Docker and Docker Hub. Please guide.

Gemini:
Absolutely, migrating your CS50 Flask application to Amazon Lightsail with Docker and Docker Hub is a great approach! Here’s a breakdown of the steps involved:

1. Dockerizing your application:

• Dockerfile creation: In your VS Code project directory, create a file named “Dockerfile” (without quotes). This file defines the instructions to build your Docker image. You can find numerous online resources for creating Dockerfiles for Flask applications. Here’s a basic structure:

# Base image for Python application
FROM python:3.8

# Working directory within the container
WORKDIR /app

# Copy your application code
COPY . .

# Install dependencies
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt # Replace with your actual command

# Expose the port where your Flask app runs (usually 5000)
EXPOSE 5000

# Command to run the application
CMD ["python", "app.py"] # Replace with your application entry point

• Building the image: Open a terminal in VS Code and run docker build -t my-flask-app . (replace my-flask-app with your desired image name). This builds the Docker image based on your Dockerfile instructions.

2. Pushing the image to Docker Hub:

• Docker Hub account: Create a free Docker Hub account if you don’t have one already.
• Login: In your terminal, run docker login and enter your Docker Hub credentials.
• Push the image: Once logged in, run docker push /my-flask-app (replace “ with your Docker Hub username).

3. Setting up Amazon Lightsail:

• Lightsail account: If you don’t have an AWS account, create a free tier account to access Lightsail.
• Instance creation: Launch a Lightsail instance. Choose an appropriate instance size based on your application’s needs. During launch, select the option to “Use a Container Blueprint.”

4. Deploying on Lightsail:

• Connect to instance: Connect to your Lightsail instance using SSH. You can find the connection details in the Lightsail console.
• Docker installation: Ensure Docker is installed on your Lightsail instance. You can find instructions on the AWS website for installing Docker based on your chosen operating system.
• Pulling the image: Once Docker is installed, run docker pull /my-flask-app to download your image from Docker Hub.
• Run the container: Start your application by running docker run -d -p : /my-flask-app. Replace with the port you want to access your application on (e.g., 8080) and with the port your Flask app exposes (usually 5000). The -d flag runs the container in the background.

5. Accessing your application:

• Public IP: Locate your Lightsail instance’s public IP address in the Lightsail console.
• Web browser: Open a web browser and navigate to `http://:` (replace with your actual values). You should now see your deployed web application!

Additional Tips:

• Environment variables: Consider using environment variables to manage sensitive information like database credentials within your container.
• Database connection: If your application connects to a database, ensure the database is accessible by your Lightsail instance. You can explore setting up a database on AWS RDS (Relational Database Service) or connecting to an existing database elsewhere.
• Deployment automation: Look into tools like Docker Compose to automate building and deploying your application with multi-container setups (e.g., separate containers for your application and database).

Remember, this is a general guideline. You might need to adapt these steps based on your specific application requirements and chosen technologies. It’s also recommended to refer to the official documentation for Docker, Docker Hub, and Amazon Lightsail for more detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips.

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