Deployment & Finalization of a Next.js + Express Website (Frontend/Backend) Website

We have a complete website (ZIP with code provided) consisting of:

Frontend: Next.js 14, static export build (out/), React + Tailwind.

Backend: Node.js / Express API with MongoDB, Redis, Captcha validation, and Mail integration (Postmark/SendGrid).

Features: Chatbot widget, review system, lead form.

The project is functional but still configured for local development (localhost:3001 hardcoded, captcha is mocked). For production, the following tasks are required:

Tasks:

Frontend adjustments

Replace all hardcoded http://localhost:3001 with .env (NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL).

Implement real Captcha (Turnstile or hCaptcha) in the chatbot widget and review form.

Backend configuration

Create .env with MONGODB_URI, REDIS_URL, MAIL_PROVIDER, ALLOWED_ORIGINS.

Configure proper CORS/Origin whitelist.

Connect mail provider (Postmark/SendGrid) and test.

Enable Captcha validation.

Deployment

Deploy frontend statically on Vercel or Nginx (out/).

Deploy backend on server (Hetzner/AWS/Render) using pm2 or Docker + Nginx reverse proxy.

Set up TLS (Let’s Encrypt), with API served from api.domain.tld and frontend from app.domain.tld.

Testing

Chatbot flow (session, send, lead) with captcha and email delivery.

Review submission.

Health check for Mongo + Redis.

Required Skills:

Strong experience with Next.js, React, Express/Node.js

Knowledge of MongoDB, Redis, Email APIs (Postmark/SendGrid)

Security: CORS, Helmet, TLS

Deployment with pm2, Nginx, Docker or Vercel/Render

Good practice with .env and secrets management

Goal:
Make the Website production-ready online (frontend + backend + DB + mail + captcha) and deploy it on AWS or if possible on

Deliverables:

Code adjustments (frontend & backend)

Deployment instructions or direct setup

End-to-end functional tests (chatbot, reviews, leads)

Estimated Time:
~10–16 hours (max 2 working days).