Node.js Production Setup Advisor

I am preparing the first public release of the Node-based web service that powers proactrixia.com and I need an experienced sounding board. Right now I mostly need advice, not hands-on coding, but the right person could easily grow into the primary developer and long-term technical lead for the project.

The immediate goal is to shape a solid, affordable production foundation on Microsoft Azure (with room for occasional self-hosting when it makes financial sense). Specifically, I need guidance on:

• Server configuration and hosting
• Database setup and management
• Environment separation for Development, Staging, and Production

Your role is to walk me through trade-offs, point out blind spots, and help me capture everything in a concise runbook I can follow. I am particularly interested in proven patterns for security, monitoring, automated recovery, and pragmatic CI/CD—even if we postpone full pipeline automation until after launch.

Deliverables I would like to see:
1. A written architecture and deployment plan covering the three areas above, tailored to Azure.
2. A check-list I can execute step-by-step for the first live release (including any Azure CLI, Terraform/Bicep or Docker commands as relevant).
3. Two short consultation calls to review the plan, adjust for budget constraints, and answer final questions.

If this initial collaboration goes well, there is plenty of future work—from code reviews and feature development to ongoing performance tuning—so think of the modest first engagement as the door to a longer partnership.