New Project Setup Checklist

Purpose: Comprehensive checklist for setting up new projects with proper infrastructure Context: Ensures no critical steps are forgotten when creating new projects Critical: Backup setup is mandatory for all production servers

🚀 Pre-Development Setup

1. Project Documentation Structure

[ ] Create project folder: projects/[project-name]/
[ ] Initialize documentation folder: docs/[project-name]/
[ ] Create base files:
[ ] index.md - Project overview and goals
[ ] implementation.md - Technical implementation details
[ ] status.md - Current development status
[ ] deployment.md - Hosting and infrastructure setup
[ ] TODO.md - Project-specific tasks
[ ] Add project to main TODO index
[ ] Update domain inventory if applicable

2. Development Environment

[ ] Initialize git repository
[ ] Create .gitignore appropriate for project type
[ ] Set up development dependencies
[ ] Create AI_CONTEXT.md for AI development assistance
[ ] Create deploy.sh script with git workflow integration

🖥️ Server Infrastructure Setup

3. Server Provisioning

[ ] Domain Configuration
[ ] Purchase/configure domain
[ ] Set up DNS records
[ ] Configure subdomains if needed
[ ] Server Setup
[ ] Provision VPS/hosting account
[ ] Configure SSH access
[ ] Set up basic security (firewall, fail2ban, etc.)
[ ] Install required software stack

4. SSL and Security

[ ] SSL Certificate Setup
[ ] Install Let's Encrypt/SSL certificates
[ ] Configure nginx/apache with SSL
[ ] Test SSL certificate validity
[ ] Set up auto-renewal
[ ] Security Hardening
[ ] SSH key authentication
[ ] Disable password authentication
[ ] Configure firewall rules
[ ] Set up fail2ban
[ ] Regular security updates

🔄 CRITICAL: Backup System Integration

5. Backup Configuration (MANDATORY FOR ALL PRODUCTION SERVERS)

⚠️ CRITICAL: Never deploy to production without backup integration!

A. Server-to-Backup-Server Setup

[ ] SSH Key Setup
[ ] Generate SSH key pair on production server
[ ] Add public key to backup server authorized_keys
[ ] Test SSH connection: ssh backup.satoshihost.com
[ ] Backup Scripts Installation
[ ] Install backup scripts on production server
[ ] Configure backup destinations
[ ] Set up cron jobs for automated backups
[ ] Test initial backup run
[ ] Backup Schedule
[ ] Daily database backups (if applicable)
[ ] Weekly full file system backups
[ ] Monthly system configuration backups
[ ] Log rotation and cleanup

B. Deploy Script Integration

[ ] Local Deployment Backups
[ ] Configure deploy script to create pre-deployment backups
[ ] Set backup retention (recommend 5 most recent)
[ ] Test rollback functionality
[ ] Document rollback procedures

C. Backup Verification

[ ] Test Backup System
[ ] Verify backups are being created
[ ] Test restore procedure (on test server)
[ ] Confirm backup server has adequate space
[ ] Set up monitoring alerts for backup failures

6. Monitoring and Alerting

[ ] Health Monitoring
[ ] Set up uptime monitoring
[ ] Configure application health checks
[ ] Set up log monitoring
[ ] Create backup failure alerts
[ ] Performance Monitoring
[ ] Monitor server resources (CPU, RAM, disk)
[ ] Set up application performance monitoring
[ ] Configure disk space alerts
[ ] Monitor backup storage usage

🚀 Deployment Pipeline

7. Deployment Automation

[ ] Enhanced Deploy Script
[ ] Git workflow integration (auto-commit)
[ ] Pre-deployment backup creation
[ ] Automated file synchronization
[ ] Post-deployment health checks
[ ] Rollback capabilities
[ ] CI/CD Integration (if applicable)
[ ] Automated testing
[ ] Staging environment deployment
[ ] Production deployment approval
[ ] Automated rollback on failure

8. Documentation and Handover

[ ] Technical Documentation
[ ] Server specifications and credentials
[ ] Deployment procedures
[ ] Backup and recovery procedures
[ ] Monitoring and alerting setup
[ ] Emergency contact procedures
[ ] Operational Documentation
[ ] User guides (if applicable)
[ ] Admin procedures
[ ] Troubleshooting guides
[ ] Maintenance schedules

📋 Backup System Architecture Overview

Current Infrastructure

Production Servers: ES1-ES7, BTCPay Server, etc.
Backup Server: Servarica 1 (209.209.10.41) - 1TB storage
Backup URL: https://backup.satoshihost.com/andy/
SSL Status: Valid until 2025-09-07

Backup Types

Deploy Script Backups (local, immediate rollback)
System Backups (remote, disaster recovery)
Git Repositories (source code protection)

⚠️ CRITICAL REMINDERS

Never Forget These Steps:

🔄 Backup Integration: No production deployment without backup setup
🔒 SSL Certificates: All production sites need SSL
📊 Monitoring: Set up uptime and performance monitoring
📚 Documentation: Document everything for future reference
🧪 Testing: Test backup and restore procedures

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Deploying to production without backup system
Forgetting to test SSL certificate renewal
Not documenting server credentials and procedures
Missing monitoring setup for new services
Forgetting to add new servers to backup rotation

Backup System Overview - Comprehensive backup documentation
Deployment Workflow - Enhanced deployment procedures
Domain Inventory - Domain and infrastructure tracking
Infrastructure Overview - Network architecture

📝 Project-Specific Checklists

Use this as a template and customize for specific project types:

Web Application Projects

[ ] Database backup procedures
[ ] Application logs backup
[ ] User data protection compliance
[ ] Session management security

API/Service Projects

[ ] API documentation
[ ] Rate limiting configuration
[ ] API key management
[ ] Service health endpoints

Static Website Projects

[ ] CDN configuration (if needed)
[ ] Static file optimization
[ ] SEO setup
[ ] Analytics integration

Created: June 13, 2025
Purpose: Prevent forgetting critical infrastructure setup steps
Priority: Essential for all new production projects