## Deployment & Hosting Deployment is the process of making a web application live on a server, while hosting refers to storing and serving the application from a server, as opposed to local development or self-hosting. This is a crucial step in web development as it makes the application accessible to users on the internet and involves considerations like server choice, scalability, and security. Django and React.js both need to be deployed and hosted, often on separate servers or environments due to their distinct roles in the full-stack web development cycle. However, as a beginner, it's best to deploy both the front end and the backend on the same platform. The unified workflow, reduced number of steps, and simplicity can be a big advantage. It gives you a straightforward path to get your full-stack application online without juggling multiple platforms. As you become more comfortable with the development and deployment processes, or as your application's user base grows and performance becomes a bigger concern, you can consider deploying the front and back end separately to take advantage of the strengths of certain platforms. Furthermore, keeping everything in one place and serving [[Static Files]] (like a React app) directly from a Django server isn't as optimized as serving them from a dedicated static file host or CDN, especially at scale. That's why services like Netlify or Vercel are recommended for the frontend. For example, deploying backend on Heroku is straightforward and harnesses Heroku's built-in support for Django, PostgreSQL, and more. It abstracts away much of the infrastructure management, allowing developers to focus primarily on the code. On the other hand, deploying the frontend on Vercel or Netlify takes advantage of the platforms being optimized for delivering static assets with performance enhancements such as global CDNs, edge caching, and instant rollbacks. By deploying them separately, developers can maximize efficiency, scalability, and performance, while still ensuring smooth communication between the frontend and backend components of the application. Namely, when updating your frontend or backend, you'll avoid redeploying everything even if only one part changed. ### [[Cloud Computing Service Types]]