SkyArtShop/Sky_Art_shop/DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md

Sky Art Shop - Web Deployment Guide

Target: XAMPP v3.3.0 + No-IP Dynamic DNS
Date: December 3, 2025

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🎯 Deployment Overview

This guide will help you deploy your ASP.NET Core application to the web so clients can view it while you continue development locally.

Architecture

Internet → No-IP DNS → Your Public IP → Router Port Forward → XAMPP/IIS → ASP.NET Core App

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⚠️ Important Notes

1. XAMPP Limitation: XAMPP is primarily for PHP applications. For ASP.NET Core, we'll use IIS (Internet Information Services) or Kestrel as a Windows Service.
2. No-IP: Your dynamic DNS will point to your public IP address
3. Port Forwarding: You'll need to forward ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) on your router
4. Security: This setup is for preview purposes. For production, use a proper hosting service.

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📋 Prerequisites

• ✅ Windows 10/11 with IIS or Windows Server
• ✅ .NET 8.0 Runtime installed
• ✅ MongoDB running on localhost:27017
• ✅ No-IP account configured with your hostname
• ✅ Router access for port forwarding
• ✅ Static local IP for your server machine

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🚀 Option 1: Deploy with IIS (Recommended)

Step 1: Enable IIS on Windows

1. Open Control Panel → Programs → Turn Windows features on or off
2. Check these features:
   • ✅ Internet Information Services
   • ✅ Web Management Tools
   • ✅ World Wide Web Services
     • ✅ Application Development Features
       • ✅ .NET Extensibility 4.8
       • ✅ ASP.NET 4.8
   • ✅ IIS Management Console
3. Click OK and wait for installation

Step 2: Install ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle

1. Download from: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0
2. Look for "Hosting Bundle" (includes .NET Runtime and IIS support)
3. Install and restart your computer

Step 3: Publish Your Application

Run these commands in PowerShell:

cd "E:\Documents\Website Projects\Sky_Art_Shop"
dotnet publish SkyArtShop.csproj -c Release -o "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop"

Note: Make sure to run each command separately, pressing Enter after each one.

Step 4: Configure Application Settings for Production

Create production settings:

# Copy appsettings.json to production version
Copy-Item "appsettings.json" "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop\appsettings.Production.json"

Step 5: Create IIS Site

1. Open IIS Manager (search in Windows Start)
2. Expand your server name → Right-click Sites → Add Website
3. Configure:
   • Site name: SkyArtShop
   • Physical path: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop
   • Binding:
     • Type: http
     • IP: All Unassigned
     • Port: 80
     • Host name: (leave empty or add your No-IP hostname)
4. Click OK

Step 6: Configure Application Pool

1. In IIS Manager, click Application Pools
2. Find SkyArtShop pool → Right-click → Basic Settings
3. Set .NET CLR version: No Managed Code
4. Click OK
5. Right-click pool → Advanced Settings
6. Set Start Mode: AlwaysRunning
7. Set Identity: ApplicationPoolIdentity or your user account
8. Click OK

Step 7: Set Permissions

# Grant IIS permissions to your application folder
icacls "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop" /grant "IIS_IUSRS:(OI)(CI)F" /T
icacls "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop" /grant "IUSR:(OI)(CI)F" /T

# Grant permissions to uploads folder
icacls "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop\wwwroot\uploads" /grant "IIS_IUSRS:(OI)(CI)F" /T

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🚀 Option 2: Deploy as Windows Service with Kestrel

Step 1: Publish Application

cd "E:\Documents\Website Projects\Sky_Art_Shop"
dotnet publish SkyArtShop.csproj -c Release -o "C:\Services\SkyArtShop"

Step 2: Install as Windows Service

# Install the service using sc.exe command
sc.exe create SkyArtShopService binPath="C:\Services\SkyArtShop\SkyArtShop.exe" start=auto

# Or use NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager) - Download from nssm.cc
# Download from: https://nssm.cc/download
nssm install SkyArtShopService "C:\Services\SkyArtShop\SkyArtShop.exe"

Step 3: Configure Service

# Set service to start automatically
sc.exe config SkyArtShopService start=auto

# Start the service
sc.exe start SkyArtShopService

# Check service status
sc.exe query SkyArtShopService

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🌐 Network Configuration

Step 1: Set Static Local IP

1. Open Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center
2. Click your network connection → Properties
3. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Properties
4. Choose Use the following IP address:
   • IP: 192.168.1.100 (or similar, check your router's range)
   • Subnet: 255.255.255.0
   • Gateway: Your router IP (usually 192.168.1.1)
   • DNS: 8.8.8.8 (Google DNS)

Step 2: Configure Router Port Forwarding

1. Access your router admin panel (usually http://192.168.1.1)
2. Find Port Forwarding or Virtual Server settings
3. Add new rule:
   • Service Name: SkyArtShop-HTTP
   • External Port: 80
   • Internal IP: 192.168.1.100 (your server's static IP)
   • Internal Port: 80
   • Protocol: TCP
4. Add HTTPS rule (optional):
   • Service Name: SkyArtShop-HTTPS
   • External Port: 443
   • Internal IP: 192.168.1.100
   • Internal Port: 443
   • Protocol: TCP
5. Save settings

Step 3: Configure Windows Firewall

# Allow HTTP traffic
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SkyArtShop-HTTP" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80 -Action Allow

# Allow HTTPS traffic (optional)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SkyArtShop-HTTPS" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 443 -Action Allow

# Or allow the application itself
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SkyArtShop-App" -Direction Inbound -Program "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop\SkyArtShop.exe" -Action Allow

Step 4: Update No-IP Configuration

1. Log in to your No-IP account (https://www.noip.com)
2. Go to Dynamic DNS → Hostnames
3. Your hostname (e.g., yoursite.ddns.net) should already be configured
4. Install No-IP DUC (Dynamic Update Client) to keep your IP updated:
   • Download from: https://www.noip.com/download
   • Install and configure with your No-IP credentials
   • It will automatically update your DNS when your public IP changes

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⚙️ Update Application Configuration

1. Update appsettings.Production.json

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Warning",
      "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Warning"
    }
  },
  "AllowedHosts": "*",
  "MongoDB": {
    "ConnectionString": "mongodb://localhost:27017",
    "DatabaseName": "SkyArtShopDB"
  },
  "AdminUser": {
    "Email": "admin@skyartshop.com",
    "Password": "Admin123!",
    "Name": "Sky Art Shop Admin"
  }
}

2. Update Program.cs for Production URLs

The app should listen on all interfaces in production. This is already configured in your Program.cs:

builder.WebHost.UseUrls("http://localhost:5001");

Change to:

// Allow configuration from environment or use default
if (builder.Environment.IsProduction())
{
    builder.WebHost.UseUrls("http://*:80", "https://*:443");
}
else
{
    builder.WebHost.UseUrls("http://localhost:5001");
}

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🔒 Security Considerations

1. Change Admin Password

Update appsettings.Production.json with a strong password:

"AdminUser": {
  "Email": "admin@skyartshop.com",
  "Password": "YourStrongPassword123!@#",
  "Name": "Sky Art Shop Admin"
}

2. Configure HTTPS (Recommended)

For HTTPS, you'll need an SSL certificate:

Option A: Free SSL with Let's Encrypt

1. Use Certify The Web (free for IIS): https://certifytheweb.com
2. Install and configure with your No-IP domain
3. It will automatically obtain and renew certificates

Option B: Self-Signed Certificate (for testing)

# Create self-signed certificate
New-SelfSignedCertificate -DnsName "yoursite.ddns.net" -CertStoreLocation "cert:\LocalMachine\My"

3. Disable Development Features

Ensure ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT is set to Production:

# For IIS (web.config)
# This is automatically set when you publish with -c Release

# For Windows Service
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT", "Production", "Machine")

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📁 File Structure After Deployment

C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop\  (or C:\Services\SkyArtShop\)
├── SkyArtShop.exe
├── SkyArtShop.dll
├── appsettings.json
├── appsettings.Production.json
├── web.config (auto-generated for IIS)
├── wwwroot\
│   ├── assets\
│   ├── uploads\
│   └── ...
└── ... (other dependencies)

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🧪 Testing Your Deployment

Local Testing (on server machine)

1. Open browser on server
2. Navigate to: http://localhost or http://127.0.0.1
3. You should see your site

Network Testing (from another device on same network)

1. Find your server's local IP: 192.168.1.100
2. On another device (phone/laptop on same WiFi)
3. Navigate to: http://192.168.1.100

Internet Testing (from outside your network)

1. Use your No-IP hostname: http://yoursite.ddns.net
2. Test from mobile data or ask a friend to visit
3. Should load your site from the internet

Troubleshooting Commands

# Check if port 80 is listening
netstat -ano | findstr :80

# Check IIS site status
Get-WebSite -Name "SkyArtShop"

# Check Windows Service status
Get-Service -Name "SkyArtShopService"

# View application logs
Get-EventLog -LogName Application -Source "IIS*" -Newest 20

# Test if MongoDB is accessible
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName localhost -Port 27017

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🔄 Updating Your Site (While Keeping it Live)

When you want to update the site:

Method 1: Quick Update (IIS)

# 1. Stop IIS site
Stop-WebSite -Name "SkyArtShop"

# 2. Publish new version
cd "E:\Documents\Website Projects\Sky_Art_Shop"
dotnet publish SkyArtShop.csproj -c Release -o "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop"

# 3. Start IIS site
Start-WebSite -Name "SkyArtShop"

Method 2: Zero-Downtime Update

# 1. Publish to new folder
dotnet publish SkyArtShop.csproj -c Release -o "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop_new"

# 2. Stop site
Stop-WebSite -Name "SkyArtShop"

# 3. Backup old version
Rename-Item "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop" "skyartshop_backup"

# 4. Switch to new version
Rename-Item "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop_new" "skyartshop"

# 5. Start site
Start-WebSite -Name "SkyArtShop"

# 6. Test and remove backup if successful
# Remove-Item "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop_backup" -Recurse

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📊 Monitoring

Check Application Status

# IIS
Get-WebSite -Name "SkyArtShop" | Select-Object Name, State, PhysicalPath

# Windows Service
Get-Service -Name "SkyArtShopService" | Select-Object Name, Status, StartType

View Logs

Logs location:

• IIS: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\skyartshop\logs\ (if configured)
• Windows Event Viewer: Application logs
• MongoDB: Check MongoDB logs for database issues

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🎯 Quick Deployment Checklist

• .NET 8.0 Hosting Bundle installed
• IIS enabled and configured
• Application published to IIS folder
• Application pool configured (No Managed Code)
• Folder permissions set (IIS_IUSRS)
• Static local IP configured
• Router port forwarding setup (port 80)
• Windows Firewall rules added
• No-IP DUC client installed and running
• MongoDB running on localhost
• Production settings configured
• Admin password changed
• Site tested locally
• Site tested from local network
• Site tested from internet (No-IP hostname)

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🆘 Common Issues & Solutions

Issue 1: HTTP Error 502.5

Cause: ASP.NET Core Runtime not installed
Solution: Install .NET 8.0 Hosting Bundle

Issue 2: Site Not Accessible from Internet

Cause: Port forwarding not configured
Solution: Check router settings, ensure port 80 is forwarded to correct local IP

Issue 3: 403 Forbidden Error

Cause: Permissions issue
Solution: Run the icacls commands to grant IIS permissions

Issue 4: MongoDB Connection Failed

Cause: MongoDB not running
Solution: Start MongoDB service: net start MongoDB

Issue 5: No-IP Hostname Not Resolving

Cause: No-IP DUC not running or IP not updated
Solution: Install/restart No-IP DUC client

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📞 Support Resources

• IIS Documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/iis
• ASP.NET Core Hosting: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/host-and-deploy/
• No-IP Support: https://www.noip.com/support
• Let's Encrypt: https://letsencrypt.org

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🎉 Success

Once deployed, your site will be accessible at:

• Local: http://localhost
• Network: http://192.168.1.100 (your local IP)
• Internet: http://yoursite.ddns.net (your No-IP hostname)

Clients can view the site while you continue development locally on port 5001! 🚀