HF_DEPLOY_GUIDE.md

Deploying to Hugging Face Spaces - Correct Method

The Problem

Hugging Face Spaces rejects binary files and development files like:

• .venv/ (virtual environment)
• node_modules/
• Database files (.db, .sqlite)
• User-uploaded images

Solution: Copy Only Required Files

Don't push your entire backend directory! Only copy the files needed for deployment.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Clone the Space Repository

git clone https://huggingface.co/spaces/FireBird-Tech/autoform-backend
cd autoform-backend

2. Copy ONLY Required Files

Copy only these files (NOT the entire backend directory):

# From your project root
cd autoform-backend

# Copy Dockerfile
cp ../backend/Dockerfile .

# Copy requirements
cp ../backend/requirements.txt .

# Copy application code (this excludes venv, db files, etc.)
cp -r ../backend/app .

# Copy ONLY logo images (not user-uploaded content)
mkdir -p images
cp ../backend/images/AutoForm.png images/
cp ../backend/images/AutoForm.svg images/
cp ../backend/images/favicon.png images/

3. Create README.md

Create README.md in the Space root:

---
title: AutoForm Backend API
emoji: 📝
colorFrom: purple
colorTo: pink
sdk: docker
sdk_version: 4.0.0
app_port: 7860
---

# AutoForm Backend API

FastAPI backend for AutoForm.

4. Verify Files

Make sure you DON'T have:

• ❌ .venv/ directory
• ❌ venv/ directory
• ❌ node_modules/ directory
• ❌ *.db files
• ❌ chat.db
• ❌ User-uploaded images (keep only logos)

You SHOULD have:

• ✅ Dockerfile
• ✅ requirements.txt
• ✅ app/ directory (with Python code)
• ✅ images/ directory (with only logo files)
• ✅ README.md

5. Commit and Push

git add Dockerfile requirements.txt app/ images/ README.md
git commit -m "Add AutoForm backend"
git push

What Files to Include

Include:

• Dockerfile
• requirements.txt
• app/ directory (all Python source files)
• images/AutoForm.png
• images/AutoForm.svg
• images/favicon.png

Exclude:

• .venv/ or venv/
• node_modules/
• *.db files
• chat.db
• User-uploaded images (anything in images/ that's not a logo)
• __pycache__/ directories
• .env files

Quick Copy Script

Create a script to copy only the right files:

#!/bin/bash
# copy_to_hf.sh

HF_DIR="../autoform-backend"  # Adjust path as needed

# Copy essential files
cp Dockerfile "$HF_DIR/"
cp requirements.txt "$HF_DIR/"
cp -r app "$HF_DIR/"

# Copy only logo images
mkdir -p "$HF_DIR/images"
cp images/AutoForm.png "$HF_DIR/images/"
cp images/AutoForm.svg "$HF_DIR/images/"
cp images/favicon.png "$HF_DIR/images/"

echo "Files copied successfully!"