Introduction
In the previous article, we discussed building a machine learning model for sentiment analysis within a Flask application. This application categorizes tweets as positive or negative based on sentiment analysis. The complete project is version-controlled on GitHub and ready for implementation. In this article, we will walk through deploying this Flask application on a cloud server using Gunicorn and Nginx to ensure scalability and accessibility in a production environment. You can refer to the previous article on deploying a machine learning model using Flask for more details.
Steps to Deploy Flask Application on AWS with Gunicorn and Nginx
1. Set up an AWS EC2 Instance:
– Launch an AWS EC2 instance with Ubuntu as the operating system.
– Configure security groups to allow inbound traffic.
2. SSH into the EC2 Instance:
– Use SSH to connect to your EC2 instance from your local machine.
– Use an SSH key pair for secure connection.
3. Deploy Flask Application:
– Transfer Flask application files to the EC2 instance.
– Clone the model from GitHub if it is already there.
– Set up a virtual environment and install required Python packages.
– Test if the Flask application runs correctly on the EC2 environment.
4. Install Dependencies:
– Update package lists and install necessary dependencies like Python and pip.
5. Install and Configure Gunicorn:
– Install Gunicorn, a WSGI HTTP server for Python applications.
– Create a Gunicorn service file to manage the application process.
– Start and enable the Gunicorn service to run in the background.
6. Install and Configure Nginx:
– Install Nginx, a high-performance web server and reverse proxy.
– Configure Nginx to forward incoming HTTP requests to the Gunicorn server.
– Set up server blocks for your Flask application.
7. Configure Domain Name (Optional):
– Configure DNS settings if you have a domain name.
8. Secure the Application:
– Enable HTTPS for secure communication.
– Obtain an SSL/TLS certificate and configure Nginx to use it.
9. Test the Deployment:
– Test your deployed Flask application through a web browser or tools like cURL or Postman.
By following these steps, you can successfully deploy your Flask application for machine learning on an AWS EC2 instance using Gunicorn as the WSGI server and Nginx as a reverse proxy server. Understanding the roles of Flask, Gunicorn, and Nginx in the deployment process is essential for a smooth deployment experience.
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