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No-IP Setup Guide for House of Prayer Song Lyric App

Domain: houseofprayer.ddns.net
Date: November 30, 2025
Public IP: 170.254.17.146
Local IP: 192.168.10.178

📋 Overview

This guide will help you configure No-IP Dynamic DNS so your church song lyric application can be accessed from anywhere using houseofprayer.ddns.net.

🎯 What You'll Achieve

Before: App only accessible on local network (192.168.10.178:3000)
After: App accessible worldwide at https://houseofprayer.ddns.net:3000

📦 Step 1: Install No-IP Dynamic Update Client (DUC)

Download and Install

Visit No-IP Website:
- Go to: https://www.noip.com/download
- Download "Dynamic Update Client (DUC) for Windows"
Run Installer:
- Execute the downloaded file (e.g., DUC-Win-x64.exe)
- Follow installation wizard
- Choose installation directory (default: C:\Program Files (x86)\No-IP\)
Launch No-IP DUC:
- Open from Start Menu or desktop shortcut
- Login with your No-IP credentials (same as website login)

Configure DUC

Select Hostname:
- In the DUC interface, you should see: houseofprayer.ddns.net
- Check the box next to it to enable automatic updates
Configure Update Interval:
- Set to update every 5 minutes (recommended)
- This ensures your domain always points to your current public IP
Set to Run on Startup:
- In DUC settings, enable "Start on Windows Startup"
- This ensures your domain stays updated even after PC restarts
Verify Status:
- DUC should show: ✓ "Up to Date" in green
- Public IP should match: 170.254.17.146

🌐 Step 2: Configure Router Port Forwarding

Why Port Forwarding?

Your router acts as a gateway between the internet and your home network. Port forwarding tells the router to direct external traffic to your PC.

Access Router Settings

Open Router Admin Page:
- In browser, go to: http://192.168.1.1 (or 192.168.0.1)
- Common router IPs:
  - Netgear: 192.168.1.1
  - TP-Link: 192.168.0.1
  - Linksys: 192.168.1.1
  - ASUS: 192.168.1.1
Login:
- Use your router admin username/password
- Default credentials (if never changed):
  - Username: admin
  - Password: admin or password (check router label)

Create Port Forwarding Rules

Navigate to: Advanced > Port Forwarding (or similar menu)

Rule 1: Frontend (React App)

Service Name: Church_Frontend
Internal IP:  192.168.10.178  (your PC's local IP)
External Port: 3000
Internal Port: 3000
Protocol: TCP
Status: Enabled

Rule 2: Backend API

Service Name: Church_Backend
Internal IP:  192.168.10.178
External Port: 5000
Internal Port: 5000
Protocol: TCP
Status: Enabled

Optional Rule 3: HTTPS (if using SSL later)

Service Name: Church_HTTPS
Internal IP:  192.168.10.178
External Port: 443
Internal Port: 443
Protocol: TCP
Status: Enabled

Important Notes

Save/Apply changes after adding rules
Some routers require a reboot
Your PC must use a static local IP (192.168.10.178) or DHCP reservation

🔧 Step 3: Update Backend Configuration

Update Flask Backend to Accept External Connections

Your backend currently binds to localhost or 0.0.0.0. For external access, ensure it's binding to 0.0.0.0.

File: backend/app.py

Check the last lines of the file (around line 640):

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(
        host='0.0.0.0',  # ✓ Allows external connections
        port=5000,
        debug=True
    )

If it says host='127.0.0.1' or host='localhost', change it to host='0.0.0.0'.

Update CORS Settings (if needed)

Check that CORS allows your domain:

# In app.py, near the top
from flask_cors import CORS

CORS(app, resources={
    r"/api/*": {
        "origins": [
            "http://localhost:3000",
            "http://192.168.10.178:3000",
            "http://houseofprayer.ddns.net:3000",
            "https://houseofprayer.ddns.net:3000"
        ]
    }
})

🌍 Step 4: Update Frontend API Configuration

Update the frontend to use your No-IP domain for external access.

File: frontend/src/api.js

The frontend should detect whether it's running locally or externally and use the appropriate API endpoint.

Option A: Manual Configuration

In Settings page, users can configure:

Protocol: https (if SSL) or http
Hostname: houseofprayer.ddns.net
Port: 5000

Option B: Auto-Detection (Recommended)

Update getAPIBase() in frontend/src/api.js to detect environment:

function getAPIBase() {
  const settings = getAPISettings();
  if (settings.useLocalStorage) return null;
  
  // Auto-detect if accessing via No-IP domain
  if (window.location.hostname === 'houseofprayer.ddns.net') {
    return `https://houseofprayer.ddns.net:5000/api`;
  }
  
  // Otherwise use configured settings
  return `${settings.protocol}://${settings.hostname}:${settings.port}/api`;
}

🔒 Step 5: Windows Firewall Configuration

Ensure Windows Firewall allows incoming connections on ports 3000 and 5000.

Create Firewall Rules

Run these commands in PowerShell as Administrator:

# Allow Frontend (Port 3000)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Church App Frontend" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 3000 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow

# Allow Backend (Port 5000)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Church App Backend" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 5000 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow

Verify Rules

Get-NetFirewallRule | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Church*" }

🧪 Step 6: Testing External Access

Test from Inside Network

Open browser on your PC:
- Go to: http://houseofprayer.ddns.net:3000
- Should see the app (if DUC is working)

Test from Outside Network

Use mobile data (turn off WiFi on phone) or ask someone outside your network:

Test Backend API:
- Visit: http://houseofprayer.ddns.net:5000/api/health
- Should see: {"status":"ok","ts":"..."}
Test Frontend:
- Visit: http://houseofprayer.ddns.net:3000
- Should load the app
- Try selecting a profile and viewing songs

Troubleshooting Tests

If external access doesn't work:

# Check if ports are listening
netstat -an | Select-String ":3000|:5000"

# Should show:
# TCP    0.0.0.0:3000           0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING
# TCP    0.0.0.0:5000           0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING

🔐 Step 7: Security Considerations

Current Setup (HTTP)

Pros: Easy to set up, works immediately
Cons: Data transmitted in plain text (not encrypted)

Recommended: Add HTTPS (SSL/TLS)

For secure access, you should add SSL certificates:

Get Free SSL Certificate:
- Use Let's Encrypt (free, automated)
- Or use Cloudflare (free proxy + SSL)
Install Certificate:
- Configure Flask to use SSL
- Update frontend URLs to https://
Redirect HTTP → HTTPS:
- Force all traffic to use HTTPS

Basic Security Measures

Add Authentication:
- Require login before accessing app
- Use session tokens or JWT
Rate Limiting:
- Prevent abuse by limiting API requests
- Use Flask-Limiter extension
Keep Updated:
- Regularly update dependencies
- Monitor for security vulnerabilities

📱 Step 8: Update Mobile Access Instructions

Once No-IP is configured, update how family members access the app:

For Users at Home (Same WiFi)

Use local IP: http://192.168.10.178:3000
Faster, no internet required

For Users Outside Home

Use No-IP domain: http://houseofprayer.ddns.net:3000
Works from anywhere with internet

For All Users (Universal URL)

Use No-IP domain everywhere: http://houseofprayer.ddns.net:3000
Works both inside and outside home network

🔄 Step 9: Automatic Startup Configuration

Backend Auto-Start

Create a Windows Task Scheduler task or startup script:

File: backend/start-backend.bat

@echo off
cd /d "E:\Documents\Website Projects\Church_SongLyric\backend"
call venv\Scripts\activate
python app.py

Add to Windows Startup:

Press Win + R
Type: shell:startup
Create shortcut to start-backend.bat

Frontend Auto-Start

File: frontend/start-frontend.bat

@echo off
cd /d "E:\Documents\Website Projects\Church_SongLyric\frontend"
npm start

📊 Verification Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure everything is configured correctly:

✅ No-IP DUC

DUC installed and running
Logged in with No-IP account
houseofprayer.ddns.net selected and enabled
Status shows "Up to Date" (green)
Public IP matches current IP (170.254.17.146)
Set to start on Windows startup

✅ Router Configuration

Port 3000 forwarded to 192.168.10.178
Port 5000 forwarded to 192.168.10.178
Rules saved and applied
Router rebooted (if required)

✅ Windows Firewall

Port 3000 inbound rule created
Port 5000 inbound rule created
Rules are enabled

✅ Backend Configuration

app.py binds to 0.0.0.0:5000
CORS allows houseofprayer.ddns.net
Backend running and accessible locally

✅ Frontend Configuration

API settings support No-IP domain
Frontend running on port 3000

✅ Testing

Can access http://houseofprayer.ddns.net:5000/api/health externally
Can access http://houseofprayer.ddns.net:3000 externally
App loads correctly from outside network
Can select profiles and view songs
Database operations work (create/edit/delete)

🆘 Troubleshooting

Problem: Domain doesn't resolve

Check:

nslookup houseofprayer.ddns.net

Solution:

Ensure No-IP DUC is running and logged in
Check DUC status (should be green)
Wait 5 minutes for DNS propagation
Try from different network (mobile data)

Problem: Connection timeout

Possible Causes:

Port forwarding not configured
- Verify router rules are saved
- Check internal IP is correct (192.168.10.178)
Firewall blocking
- Check Windows Firewall rules exist
- Temporarily disable firewall to test
Services not running
- Ensure backend running: netstat -an | Select-String ":5000"
- Ensure frontend running: netstat -an | Select-String ":3000"

Problem: Backend responds but frontend doesn't

Check CORS:

Backend CORS must allow your domain
Check browser console for CORS errors
Update app.py CORS origins

Problem: ISP Blocks Ports

Some ISPs block common ports like 80, 443, 8080.