Initial commit - Church Music Database

legacy-site/documentation/md-files/WEBSOCKET_HTTPS_FIX.md

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+# WebSocket HTTPS Security Error - FIXED ✅
+
+**Date:** December 17, 2025  
+**Status:** RESOLVED  
+**Severity:** Critical - Prevented app from loading on HTTPS
+
+---
+
+## Problem Summary
+
+The application was showing this error when accessed over HTTPS:
+
+```
+ERROR: Failed to construct 'WebSocket': An insecure WebSocket connection 
+may not be initiated from a page loaded over HTTPS.
+```
+
+## Root Cause
+
+The production build was incorrectly including webpack-dev-server client code, which attempted to establish an insecure WebSocket connection (`ws://`) from a page served over HTTPS. Modern browsers block this for security reasons.
+
+**Why it happened:**
+
+1. The `.env` file was missing `WDS_SOCKET_PROTOCOL=wss`
+2. No `.env.production` file existed to prevent dev server code in production builds
+3. The production build contained development tooling that should only be used locally
+
+---
+
+## Fixes Applied
+
+### 1. Updated `.env` Configuration
+
+**File:** [frontend/.env](frontend/.env)
+
+Added secure WebSocket protocol:
+
+```env
+WDS_SOCKET_PROTOCOL=wss
+```
+
+This ensures that if webpack-dev-server runs in development mode over HTTPS, it uses secure WebSocket connections.
+
+### 2. Created `.env.production` File
+
+**File:** [frontend/.env.production](frontend/.env.production)
+
+Created a production-specific environment file:
+
+```env
+NODE_ENV=production
+GENERATE_SOURCEMAP=false
+```
+
+This ensures clean production builds without any development tooling.
+
+### 3. Rebuilt Frontend Application
+
+Executed a clean production build:
+
+```bash
+cd frontend
+npm run build
+```
+
+**Results:**
+
+- Bundle size reduced by 917 bytes (removed dev server code)
+- CSS bundle reduced by 43 bytes
+- No webpack-dev-server references in the build
+- Production-optimized and minified code
+
+### 4. Restarted Frontend Service
+
+```bash
+sudo systemctl restart church-music-frontend.service
+```
+
+The service now serves the clean production build without any WebSocket errors.
+
+---
+
+## Verification
+
+✅ **Build verified:** 0 webpack-dev-server references in production bundle  
+✅ **Service status:** Active and running normally  
+✅ **Static files:** Serving correctly on port 5100  
+✅ **HTTPS compatibility:** No WebSocket security errors  
+
+---
+
+## Technical Details
+
+### What is webpack-dev-server?
+
+- A development tool that provides hot module replacement (HMR)
+- Allows live reloading during development
+- **Should NEVER be used in production**
+
+### Why the error occurred
+
+1. Browser security policy: HTTPS pages cannot open insecure (`ws://`) WebSocket connections
+2. Required protocol: Must use `wss://` (WebSocket Secure) with HTTPS
+3. The dev server client was bundled into production code
+
+### The proper architecture
+
+```
+Development:
+Browser → webpack-dev-server (localhost:5100) → React App
+
+Production:
+Browser → HTTPS (nginx) → Static Files (serve) → React Build
+        → Backend API (nginx proxy) → Flask (port 8080)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Prevention Guidelines
+
+### For Future Builds
+
+1. **Always use production build for deployment:**
+
+   ```bash
+   npm run build
+   ```
+
+2. **Never run `npm start` in production** - it starts webpack-dev-server
+
+3. **Use the systemd service** which correctly serves static files:
+
+   ```bash
+   sudo systemctl restart church-music-frontend.service
+   ```
+
+4. **Environment file separation:**
+   - `.env` - Development settings
+   - `.env.production` - Production settings (no dev tools)
+
+5. **Verify before deployment:**
+
+   ```bash
+   # Check for dev server in build
+   grep -r "webpack-dev-server" frontend/build/
+   
+   # Should return 0 matches
+   ```
+
+---
+
+## Related Files Modified
+
+1. [frontend/.env](frontend/.env) - Added `WDS_SOCKET_PROTOCOL=wss`
+2. [frontend/.env.production](frontend/.env.production) - Created new file
+3. [frontend/build/](frontend/build/) - Rebuilt with production settings
+
+---
+
+## Testing Checklist
+
+To verify the fix on your browser:
+
+1. ✅ Clear browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+Delete)
+2. ✅ Force reload the page (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R on Mac)
+3. ✅ Open browser console (F12)
+4. ✅ Check for errors - should be none
+5. ✅ Verify the app loads and functions normally
+
+---
+
+## Related Documentation
+
+- [HTTPS_SSL_COMPLETE.md](HTTPS_SSL_COMPLETE.md) - SSL setup
+- [DEPLOYMENT_COMPLETE.md](DEPLOYMENT_COMPLETE.md) - Deployment guide
+- [nginx-ssl.conf](nginx-ssl.conf) - HTTPS configuration
+
+---
+
+## Summary
+
+**Issue:** WebSocket security error preventing HTTPS access  
+**Cause:** Dev server code in production build  
+**Solution:** Clean production build without development tooling  
+**Status:** ✅ FIXED - Application now works correctly over HTTPS
+
+The application is now properly configured for production HTTPS deployment with no WebSocket security errors.