docs(api-server): add deployment guide for production environment

- Provide step-by-step instructions for deploying the API server
- Include configuration of production environment variables
- Explain how to build a Docker container for the API server
- Suggest popular hosting providers for Docker containers
- Warn about CORS configuration for web dashboard communication

Author: fulleni

src/content/docs/api-server/deployment.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+---
+title: Deployment Guide
+description: Learn how to deploy the API server to a production environment.
+---
+
+import { Steps, Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
+
+This guide provides the steps to deploy the API server for production use. The recommended method is to build a Docker container and host it on a cloud service that supports containers.
+
+<Steps>
+1.  **Configure Production Environment Variables**
+
+    Before building your application for production, you must configure your environment variables. Unlike the `.env` file used for local development, production environments should use the hosting provider's system for managing secrets (e.g., GitHub Secrets for build pipelines, or environment variable settings in your hosting dashboard).
+
+    The following variables are **required** for production:
+    -   `DATABASE_URL`: The connection string for your production MongoDB database.
+    -   `JWT_SECRET_KEY`: A long, complex, and secret string for signing authentication tokens.
+    -   `SENDGRID_API_KEY`: Your API key for the SendGrid service.
+    -   `DEFAULT_SENDER_EMAIL`: The email address used to send transactional emails (like OTP codes).
+    -   `OTP_TEMPLATE_ID`: The ID of your dynamic email template in SendGrid.
+
+    You should also set `JWT_ISSUER` to the public URL of your API.
+
+2.  **Build the Docker Container**
+
+    The API server repository includes a `Dockerfile` that simplifies the process of creating a production-ready container. This file handles setting up the Dart environment, installing dependencies, and creating an optimized production build of the server.
+
+    To build the container locally, run the following command from the root of the `flutter-news-app-api-server-full-source-code` directory:
+
+    ```bash
+    docker build -t your-api-server-image .
+    ```
+
+    Replace `your-api-server-image` with a name for your Docker image.
+
+3.  **Deploy to a Hosting Provider**
+
+    Once you have built the Docker image, you can deploy it to any hosting provider that supports Docker containers. You will typically push your image to a container registry (like Docker Hub, Google Container Registry, or Amazon ECR) and then deploy it from there.
+
+    Popular choices for hosting Docker containers include:
+    -   [Google Cloud Run](https://cloud.google.com/run/docs/deploying)
+    -   [Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)](https://aws.amazon.com/ecs/)
+    -   [DigitalOcean App Platform](https://www.digitalocean.com/docs/app-platform/how-to/deploy-from-dockerfile/)
+    -   [Render](https://render.com/docs/deploy-a-docker-image)
+
+    Follow your chosen provider's documentation for deploying a container from an image or a `Dockerfile`. During the setup process on the hosting platform, you will need to configure the environment variables mentioned in Step 1.
+
+</Steps>
+
+<Aside type="caution" title="CORS Configuration">
+For your web-based dashboard to communicate with the API in production, you must correctly configure Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS). Set the `CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGIN` environment variable on your server to the exact URL of your deployed web dashboard (e.g., `https://dashboard.yourdomain.com`).
+</Aside>