Fresh Framework Production Deployment Guide

Performance Specifications

Boot Time Performance

• Fresh 2.0 + Vite: 8ms boot time (down from 86ms)
• Real-world impact: 9-12x faster development, not runtime performance
• Cold start reality: 8ms boot + 100-200ms database connection establishment

Platform Limits

• Deno Deploy Free: 128MB memory, 100k requests/month
• Deno Deploy Pro: 512MB memory, 1M requests/month, $20/month
• Cloudflare Workers: 1MB bundle limit (kills most Fresh apps)

Critical Configuration

File Import Requirements

// BREAKS on deploy
import { thing } from "./utils";

// WORKS everywhere
import { thing } from "./utils.ts";

Database Connection Pooling (Critical)

// WRONG - Creates connection hell
export async function handler(req: Request) {
  const client = new Client(DATABASE_URL);
}

// RIGHT - Reuse connections
const pool = new Pool({ 
  connectionString: DATABASE_URL, 
  maxConnections: 5 
});

Required Permissions (deno.json)

{
  "tasks": {
    "start": "deno run --allow-net --allow-read --allow-env main.ts"
  }
}

Deployment Process

Automated Deployment

1. git push origin main - Triggers automatic deployment
2. Environment variables sync in 30 seconds (wait before testing)
3. SSL certificates automatic

Critical Gotchas

• Environment variable delay: 30-second sync time after changes
• Memory limits hit before request limits: Free tier 128MB constraint
• CORS issues: Safari randomly refuses requests without proper headers
• File extension strictness: Deno Deploy stricter than local development

Platform Comparison Matrix

Platform	Memory	Bundle Limit	Cold Start	Monthly Cost	Best Use Case
Deno Deploy	128MB/512MB	None	8ms	$0/$20	Fresh apps
Cloudflare Workers	128MB	1MB	<5ms	$0/$5	Tiny apps only
AWS Lambda	512MB-10GB	50MB	100-300ms	$0.20/1M req	Enterprise
Docker	Unlimited	None	2-5s	$50-200+	Custom needs

Production Failure Modes

Common Breaking Points

1. Module not found: Incorrect file extensions in imports
2. Permission denied: Missing deno.json permissions
3. Database timeouts: No connection pooling
4. Memory exhaustion: Caching too much in 128MB limit
5. Bundle size: Hitting Cloudflare Workers 1MB limit

Performance Bottlenecks

• Database latency: 200ms+ from edge to non-edge databases
• Large islands: Each island = separate JavaScript bundle
• Memory caching: Limited by platform memory constraints

Monitoring Configuration

Basic Logging

// Sufficient for most production apps
console.log(`${req.method} ${url.pathname} - ${resp.status} - ${duration}ms`);

Error Context

try {
  await doSomething();
} catch (error) {
  console.error(`Database query failed: ${error.message}`, {
    url: req.url,
    userId: ctx.state.userId,
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
  });
}

Deno Deploy Metrics (Built-in)

• Request count and response times
• Error rates (5xx)
• Geographic distribution
• Memory/CPU usage
• Limitation: 30-day history only

Resource Requirements

Actual Traffic Capacity

• Tested: 15k requests/day without issues
• Free tier: Hits 100k/month limit before performance degradation
• Memory constraint: More limiting than request volume

Real Production Costs (Example)

• Deno Deploy: $0 (free tier sufficient for 15k req/day)
• Domain: $12/year
• Database (Supabase): $0 (free tier)
• Total: ~$1/month for side projects

Critical Dependencies

Database Options

• Supabase: PostgreSQL with auth, decent free tier
• PlanetScale: Serverless MySQL, built-in connection pooling
• Turso: SQLite at edge, global low latency

Required Tooling

• Sentry: Error tracking (only when profitable)
• UptimeRobot: Free uptime monitoring (5-minute intervals)

Decision Criteria

Choose Deno Deploy When

• Rapid prototyping needed
• TypeScript without configuration overhead
• Edge distribution required
• Budget under $20/month

Avoid Deno Deploy When

• Need >512MB memory
• Require custom infrastructure
• Existing AWS ecosystem
• Complex monitoring requirements

Breaking Points

• 1M+ requests/month (cost scaling)
• Complex enterprise requirements
• Non-HTTP workloads
• Regulatory compliance needs

Implementation Warnings

Environment Variables

• Sync delay: 30 seconds after dashboard changes
• No history: Changes overwrite previous values
• Size limits: Don't store large config data

Database Architecture

• Edge-database latency: 200ms+ unavoidable
• Connection limits: Use pooling, max 5 connections
• Geographic distribution: Database not edge-replicated

Security Considerations

• CORS middleware required: Safari compatibility
• Secret management: Use environment variables only
• SSL automatic: No manual certificate management needed