External Services Setup Guide

Complete step-by-step guide to set up all required external services for your Cloudflare deployment.

Estimated Time: 15-20 minutes Cost: All services have generous free tiers

📋 Overview

You need to set up 4 external services:

✅ Neon PostgreSQL - Database (5 min)
✅ Upstash Redis - Caching & Sessions (5 min)
✅ Stripe - Payment Processing (5 min)
✅ Resend - Email Delivery (5 min)

1️⃣ Neon PostgreSQL Setup (5 min)

Step 1: Create Account

Go to https://neon.tech
Click Sign Up or Get Started
Sign up with GitHub (recommended) or email
Verify your email if needed

Step 2: Create Project

Click "New Project" or "Create a project"
Fill in details:
```
Project Name: mystic-ecom-production
Database Name: main
PostgreSQL Version: 16 (latest)
Region: Choose closest to your users
```
Region Recommendations:
- US users: US East (Ohio) or US West (Oregon)
- EU users: Europe (Frankfurt) or Europe (London)
- Asia users: Asia Pacific (Singapore)
Click "Create Project"

Step 3: Get Connection String

After project creation, you'll see the dashboard
Click on "Connection Details" or look for the connection string

You'll see something like:

postgresql://username:password@ep-cool-name-12345678.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech/main?sslmode=require

IMPORTANT: Copy the ENTIRE connection string including ?sslmode=require

Save it securely - you'll need this for Cloudflare environment variables

Create a temporary file to store your credentials:

# Create a secure credentials file (DO NOT COMMIT THIS)
cat > ~/deployment-credentials.txt << 'EOF'
# DEPLOYMENT CREDENTIALS - DELETE AFTER DEPLOYMENT
# Generated: $(date)

# Neon PostgreSQL
DATABASE_URL=PASTE_YOUR_CONNECTION_STRING_HERE

# Upstash Redis (fill in later)
REDIS_URL=

# Stripe (fill in later)
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=

# Resend (fill in later)
RESEND_API_KEY=
EOF

Step 4: Configure Database Settings (Optional but Recommended)

In Neon dashboard, go to Settings
Enable Auto-suspend to save costs (database pauses when inactive)
Set Auto-suspend delay: 5 minutes (default)
Enable Autoscaling for better performance

Step 5: Note Down Database Details

You'll need these later:

✅ Connection string (DATABASE_URL)
✅ Database name: main
✅ PostgreSQL version: 16

✅ Neon Setup Complete! We'll import the schema later.

2️⃣ Upstash Redis Setup (5 min)

Step 1: Create Account

Go to https://upstash.com
Click Sign Up or Get Started for Free
Sign up with GitHub (recommended) or email

Step 2: Create Redis Database

Click "Create Database"

Fill in details:

Name: mystic-ecom-production
Type: Regional (faster, recommended)
Region: Same as your Neon database
TLS: Enabled (REQUIRED - should be enabled by default)
Eviction: No eviction (recommended for session storage)

Click "Create"

Step 3: Get Connection Details

After creation, click on your database
Scroll down to "REST API" or "Connection Details"
Look for "Redis Connection URL"

Copy the connection string that starts with rediss://

rediss://default:AbCdEf123456...@us1-example-12345.upstash.io:6379

IMPORTANT: Make sure it starts with rediss:// (double 's' for SSL)

Save it to your credentials file:

# Edit your credentials file
nano ~/deployment-credentials.txt
# Add your Redis URL

Step 4: Configure Redis Settings (Optional)

In Upstash dashboard, click on your database
Go to Settings
Verify:
- ✅ TLS is enabled
- ✅ Region is correct
- ✅ Eviction policy: noeviction (for sessions)

Step 5: Test Connection (Optional)

If you have redis-cli installed:

redis-cli -u "YOUR_REDIS_URL" ping
# Should return: PONG

✅ Upstash Redis Setup Complete!

3️⃣ Stripe Setup (5 min)

Step 1: Create Account

Go to https://stripe.com
Click "Start now" or "Sign up"
Fill in your business details
Verify your email

Step 2: Activate Your Account

Complete the onboarding questionnaire
Provide business information
Set up bank account for payouts (can do later)

Step 3: Get API Keys

In Stripe Dashboard, click "Developers" in top right
Click "API keys" in left sidebar
You'll see two environments:
- Test mode (for development)
- Live mode (for production)
Toggle to "Live mode" using the switch in sidebar

Copy your keys:

Publishable key: pk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Secret key: sk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxx (click "Reveal" to see)

Save them to your credentials file:

nano ~/deployment-credentials.txt
# Add:
# STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
# STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Step 4: Set Up Webhook (Do AFTER Cloudflare deployment)

⚠️ IMPORTANT: You'll need your Cloudflare URL first, so we'll do this after deployment.

For now, just note that you'll need to:

Create webhook endpoint at: https://your-site.pages.dev/api/webhooks/stripe
Subscribe to payment events
Copy the webhook secret

Temporary placeholder for now:

# Add to credentials file
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_SETUP_AFTER_DEPLOYMENT

Step 5: Test Mode Keys (for development)

While you're here, also copy your Test mode keys for local development:

# Switch to "Test mode"
# Copy keys to .env.local for local testing

✅ Stripe Setup Complete! (Webhook will be configured after deployment)

4️⃣ Resend Email Setup (5 min)

Step 1: Create Account

Go to https://resend.com
Click "Start Building" or "Sign Up"
Sign up with email
Verify your email address

Step 2: Get API Key

After login, go to "API Keys" in left sidebar
Click "Create API Key"

Fill in details:

Name: mystic-ecom-production
Permission: Full Access (or Sending access)

Click "Create"
Copy the API key immediately - it won't be shown again!
```
re_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
```

Save it to your credentials file:

nano ~/deployment-credentials.txt
# Add:
# RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Step 3: Add Domain (Recommended for Production)

For testing, you can use Resend's default domain (onboarding.resend.dev)

For production, add your own domain:

Go to "Domains" in left sidebar
Click "Add Domain"
Enter your domain (e.g., mystic-ecom.com)
Click "Add"
Add DNS records shown by Resend to your domain's DNS settings
Wait for verification (usually 5-30 minutes)

For now, use the default:

# Add to credentials file
EMAIL_FROM=onboarding@resend.dev
EMAIL_FROM_NAME=Mystic Ecom

Step 4: Test Email (Optional)

You can send a test email from Resend dashboard:

Go to "Emails" → "Send Test Email"
Enter your email
Send to verify it's working

✅ Resend Setup Complete!

5️⃣ Generate Security Secrets

Generate random secrets for your application:

# Generate 4 secrets (run this command 4 times)
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('hex'))"

Run the command 4 times and save each output:

# Add to credentials file
SESSION_SECRET=FIRST_GENERATED_SECRET
JWT_SECRET=SECOND_GENERATED_SECRET
CSRF_SECRET=THIRD_GENERATED_SECRET
DOWNLOAD_TOKEN_SECRET=FOURTH_GENERATED_SECRET

6️⃣ Complete Credentials File

Your ~/deployment-credentials.txt should now look like this:

# DEPLOYMENT CREDENTIALS - DELETE AFTER DEPLOYMENT
# Generated: 2025-11-07

# Neon PostgreSQL
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@ep-xxx.neon.tech/main?sslmode=require

# Upstash Redis
REDIS_URL=rediss://default:pass@xxx.upstash.io:6379

# Security Secrets
SESSION_SECRET=abc123...
JWT_SECRET=def456...
CSRF_SECRET=ghi789...
DOWNLOAD_TOKEN_SECRET=jkl012...

# Stripe
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_SETUP_AFTER_DEPLOYMENT

# Resend
RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
EMAIL_FROM=onboarding@resend.dev
EMAIL_FROM_NAME=Mystic Ecom

# Admin
ADMIN_EMAIL=your-email@example.com

# Site Config
PUBLIC_SITE_URL=https://your-project.pages.dev
NODE_ENV=production

7️⃣ Import Database Schema

Now that Neon is set up, let's import your database schema.

Check if you have a schema file:

# Check for schema files
ls -la database/

If you have database/schema.sql or similar:

# Set your Neon connection string
export DATABASE_URL="your-neon-connection-string"

# Import schema
psql "$DATABASE_URL" < database/schema.sql

# Or if you have migrations
npm run db:migrate  # if this script exists

If you DON'T have a schema file yet:

You'll need to create your database tables. Check if there are SQL files in your project:

# Search for SQL files
find . -name "*.sql" -type f

Let me check your project structure - I'll help you find and import the schema in the next step.

✅ Setup Complete Checklist

Mark off as you complete each service:

🔒 Security Notes

IMPORTANT:

Never commit ~/deployment-credentials.txt to git
Delete this file after deployment is complete
Store credentials in a password manager for safekeeping
Use environment variables in Cloudflare, not hardcoded values
Rotate secrets periodically for security

📊 Free Tier Limits

All services offer generous free tiers:

Neon PostgreSQL (Free):

10 projects
3 GB storage per project
1 concurrent connection
Unlimited compute hours

Upstash Redis (Free):

10,000 commands/day
256 MB storage
TLS included

Stripe (Free):

No monthly fees
Pay only per transaction (2.9% + $0.30)
Unlimited API calls

Resend (Free):

3,000 emails/month
100 emails/day
1 domain

🆘 Troubleshooting

Neon Connection Issues

# Test connection
psql "$DATABASE_URL" -c "SELECT version();"

# If fails, check:
# 1. Connection string has ?sslmode=require
# 2. Database is not suspended (wake it in dashboard)
# 3. No firewall blocking port 5432

Redis Connection Issues

# Test connection
redis-cli -u "$REDIS_URL" ping

# If fails, check:
# 1. URL starts with rediss:// (double 's')
# 2. Correct password
# 3. TLS is enabled in Upstash

Stripe Webhook Issues

Webhooks are configured AFTER deployment
You need your live Cloudflare URL first
Test with Stripe CLI locally before production

Email Sending Issues

Verify email address in Resend
Check API key is correct
Monitor sending limits
Add custom domain for better deliverability

Next Steps

Once all services are set up:

✅ You have all credentials saved
✅ Import database schema (next step)
✅ Test connections
✅ Proceed to Cloudflare Pages deployment
✅ Add environment variables in Cloudflare dashboard

Continue to: Cloudflare Pages deployment (Step 2 in CLOUDFLARE_QUICKSTART.md)

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External Services Setup Guide

📋 Overview

1️⃣ Neon PostgreSQL Setup (5 min)

Step 1: Create Account

Step 2: Create Project

Step 3: Get Connection String

Step 4: Configure Database Settings (Optional but Recommended)

Step 5: Note Down Database Details

2️⃣ Upstash Redis Setup (5 min)

Step 1: Create Account

Step 2: Create Redis Database

Step 3: Get Connection Details

Step 4: Configure Redis Settings (Optional)

Step 5: Test Connection (Optional)

3️⃣ Stripe Setup (5 min)

Step 1: Create Account

Step 2: Activate Your Account

Step 3: Get API Keys

Step 4: Set Up Webhook (Do AFTER Cloudflare deployment)

Step 5: Test Mode Keys (for development)

4️⃣ Resend Email Setup (5 min)

Step 1: Create Account

Step 2: Get API Key

Step 3: Add Domain (Recommended for Production)

Step 4: Test Email (Optional)

5️⃣ Generate Security Secrets

6️⃣ Complete Credentials File

7️⃣ Import Database Schema

Check if you have a schema file:

If you have database/schema.sql or similar:

If you DON'T have a schema file yet:

✅ Setup Complete Checklist

🔒 Security Notes

📊 Free Tier Limits

🆘 Troubleshooting

Neon Connection Issues

Redis Connection Issues

Stripe Webhook Issues

Email Sending Issues

Next Steps