⚡ PrepPulse — Deployment Guide

Complete step-by-step instructions to deploy PrepPulse with login, dual AI, and email reminders.

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📁 Project Structure

preppulse/
├── api/
│   ├── ai.js            ← Dual AI proxy (Gemini + Groq)
│   └── reminder.js      ← Daily email reminder cron job
├── src/
│   ├── main.jsx         ← React entry point
│   ├── App.jsx          ← Auth routing
│   ├── Login.jsx        ← Login / Signup page
│   ├── Dashboard.jsx    ← Main tracker app
│   ├── firebase.js      ← Firebase config
│   └── data/
│       └── exams.js     ← All exam subjects & topics
├── index.html
├── vite.config.js
├── vercel.json          ← Cron job config
├── package.json
├── .env.example         ← Copy this to .env.local
└── .gitignore           ← Protects your keys

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🔑 STEP 1 — Get All Free API Keys

1A. Firebase (Login + Database)

1. Go to https://console.firebase.google.com
2. Click "Add project" → name it "preppulse" → Create
3. In the project dashboard, click "</> Web" to add a web app → name it "preppulse"
4. Copy the config values shown (apiKey, authDomain, etc.)
5. In Firebase console, go to Authentication → Sign-in method → Enable Email/Password
6. Go to Firestore Database → Create database → Start in test mode → Choose a region

1B. Gemini AI (Free: 1500 requests/day)

1. Go to https://aistudio.google.com
2. Sign in with Google
3. Click "Get API Key" → "Create API key"
4. Copy the key

1C. Groq AI (Free: 14,400 requests/day — very fast)

1. Go to https://console.groq.com
2. Sign up with Google/email
3. Go to API Keys → "Create API Key"
4. Copy the key

1D. Resend (Free email: 100 emails/day)

1. Go to https://resend.com
2. Sign up → Verify your email
3. Go to API Keys → "Create API Key"
4. Copy the key
5. Go to Domains → Add your domain OR use the test email for now

1E. Make a CRON_SECRET

• Just make up any long random string yourself
• Example: mySecretCron2024PrepPulse!
• You'll use this exact string in Vercel

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🔑 STEP 2 — Firebase Admin Keys (for email reminders)

1. In Firebase Console → Project Settings (gear icon) → Service Accounts
2. Click "Generate new private key" → Download the JSON file
3. Open the JSON file — you need 3 values:
   • project_id → this is your FIREBASE_ADMIN_PROJECT_ID
   • client_email → this is your FIREBASE_ADMIN_CLIENT_EMAIL
   • private_key → this is your FIREBASE_ADMIN_PRIVATE_KEY (long string starting with -----BEGIN)

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💻 STEP 3 — Set Up Locally

# 1. Install Node.js from nodejs.org if you haven't

# 2. Clone or download this project folder

# 3. Install dependencies
npm install

# 4. Copy the env template
cp .env.example .env.local

# 5. Fill in your keys in .env.local (open with any text editor)
# See .env.example for what each value means

# 6. Run locally to test
npm run dev
# Opens at http://localhost:5173

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📤 STEP 4 — Push to GitHub

# 1. Create a free account at github.com

# 2. Create a new repository called "preppulse" (make it Private)

# 3. In your project folder, run:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial PrepPulse build"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/preppulse.git
git push -u origin main

⚠️ Make sure .gitignore includes .env.local — it does by default in this project.

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🚀 STEP 5 — Deploy on Vercel

1. Go to https://vercel.com → Sign up with GitHub (free)
2. Click "Add New Project" → Import your preppulse repo
3. Framework: Vite (Vercel auto-detects this)
4. Click "Environment Variables" and add ALL of these:

VITE_FIREBASE_API_KEY           = (from Firebase web config)
VITE_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN       = (from Firebase web config)
VITE_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID        = (from Firebase web config)
VITE_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET    = (from Firebase web config)
VITE_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID = (from Firebase web config)
VITE_FIREBASE_APP_ID            = (from Firebase web config)

GEMINI_API_KEY                  = (from aistudio.google.com)
GROQ_API_KEY                    = (from console.groq.com)
RESEND_API_KEY                  = (from resend.com)
CRON_SECRET                     = (the random string you made up)

FIREBASE_ADMIN_PROJECT_ID       = (from Firebase service account JSON)
FIREBASE_ADMIN_CLIENT_EMAIL     = (from Firebase service account JSON)
FIREBASE_ADMIN_PRIVATE_KEY      = (from Firebase service account JSON — paste the full -----BEGIN... string)

5. Click Deploy → Wait 2-3 minutes
6. Your app is live at https://preppulse.vercel.app (or similar URL) 🎉

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📧 STEP 6 — Set Up Email Domain (for real emails)

After deploying:

1. In Resend dashboard → Domains → Add Domain
2. Add your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com)
3. Follow Resend's DNS instructions to verify it
4. Update the from: address in api/reminder.js:

   from: "PrepPulse <reminders@yourdomain.com>"

5. Redeploy: git push (Vercel auto-redeploys)

No custom domain yet? You can use Resend's test mode — emails go to your own inbox only until you verify a domain. That's fine for testing!

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✅ Final Checklist

Step	Done?
Firebase project created with Email auth + Firestore	☐
Gemini API key from aistudio.google.com	☐
Groq API key from console.groq.com	☐
Resend API key from resend.com	☐
Firebase Admin service account JSON downloaded	☐
.env.local filled in locally	☐
npm run dev works locally	☐
Code pushed to GitHub	☐
All env vars added in Vercel	☐
Deployed on Vercel	☐

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🛠 Troubleshooting

"Firebase: No Firebase App" error → Check that all VITE_FIREBASE_* env vars are set in Vercel and start with VITE_

AI not working → Check GEMINI_API_KEY and GROQ_API_KEY are set in Vercel (not in .env.local for production)

Emails not sending → Check RESEND_API_KEY is set. Check the from: email uses a verified Resend domain.

Login not working → Make sure Email/Password auth is enabled in Firebase Console → Authentication

Data not saving → Make sure Firestore is created in Firebase Console and started in test mode

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💡 Tips

• Push any code change with git push → Vercel auto-redeploys in ~1 minute
• View cron job logs in Vercel Dashboard → Your Project → Functions tab
• View Firestore data in Firebase Console → Firestore Database
• Monitor AI usage: Gemini at aistudio.google.com, Groq at console.groq.com