# 🚀 Deploy LinkScout Backend on Hugging Face Spaces (FREE)

## Why Hugging Face Spaces?

- ✅ **16GB RAM FREE** (vs Render's 512MB)
- ✅ **Perfect for ML models** (built for this)
- ✅ **Free GPU option** available
- ✅ **Persistent storage** for models
- ✅ **No credit card** required
- ✅ **Always on** (no sleep like Render)

---

## 📦 Step-by-Step Deployment

### Step 1: Create Hugging Face Account

1. Go to https://huggingface.co/join
2. Sign up (free, no credit card)
3. Verify your email

### Step 2: Create a New Space

1. Go to https://huggingface.co/new-space
2. Fill in details:
   - **Owner**: Your username
   - **Space name**: `linkscout-backend`
   - **License**: MIT
   - **Select SDK**: **Gradio** (we'll use custom Docker)
   - **Space hardware**: **CPU basic (free)** - 16GB RAM!
   - **Visibility**: Public

3. Click **"Create Space"**

### Step 3: Prepare Files for HuggingFace

We need to create a few HuggingFace-specific files:

#### 3.1 Create `app.py` (Entry point for HuggingFace)

Create `D:\LinkScout\app.py`:

```python
# This is a wrapper for HuggingFace Spaces
# It imports and runs the Flask server from combined_server.py

if __name__ == '__main__':
    import combined_server
    # Server will start automatically when combined_server is imported
```

#### 3.2 Create `Dockerfile` (for HuggingFace Spaces)

Create `D:\LinkScout\Dockerfile`:

```dockerfile
FROM python:3.11-slim

# Set working directory
WORKDIR /app

# Install system dependencies
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    build-essential \
    curl \
    git \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Copy requirements
COPY requirements.txt .

# Install Python dependencies
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt

# Copy application code
COPY . .

# Create cache directory for models
RUN mkdir -p ./models_cache

# Expose port (HuggingFace uses port 7860 by default)
EXPOSE 7860

# Set environment variables
ENV PORT=7860
ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1

# Run the application
CMD ["python", "combined_server.py"]
```

#### 3.3 Create `README.md` for HuggingFace Space

Create `D:\LinkScout\README_SPACE.md`:

```markdown
---
title: LinkScout Backend
emoji: 🔍
colorFrom: orange
colorTo: yellow
sdk: docker
pinned: false
---

# LinkScout AI-Powered Misinformation Detection Backend

This is the backend API for LinkScout, featuring:

- 🤖 8 Pre-trained ML Models
- 🔬 8-Phase Revolutionary Detection
- 🧠 Groq AI Integration
- 🌐 Real-time Fact Checking

## API Endpoints

- `POST /analyze` - Analyze text for misinformation
- `GET /health` - Health check
- `POST /feedback` - Submit RL feedback

## Environment Variables Required

Set these in Space Settings → Variables:

- `GROQ_API_KEY` - Your Groq API key
- `GOOGLE_API_KEY` - (Optional) Google Search API key
- `GOOGLE_CSE_ID` - (Optional) Google Custom Search Engine ID
```

### Step 4: Update Port for HuggingFace

HuggingFace Spaces use port **7860** by default. Update `combined_server.py`:

Find the port configuration section and update:

```python
if __name__ == '__main__':
    import os
    # HuggingFace Spaces uses port 7860, Render uses env PORT
    port = int(os.environ.get('PORT', 7860))
    print(f"  🌐 Port: {port}")
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=port, debug=False, threaded=True, use_reloader=False)
```

### Step 5: Push to HuggingFace

#### Option A: Using Git (Recommended)

```powershell
# Add HuggingFace as a remote
cd D:\LinkScout
git remote add hf https://huggingface.co/spaces/YOUR_USERNAME/linkscout-backend

# Push to HuggingFace
git push hf main
```

**Replace `YOUR_USERNAME`** with your HuggingFace username!

#### Option B: Upload Files Manually

1. Go to your Space: `https://huggingface.co/spaces/YOUR_USERNAME/linkscout-backend`
2. Click **"Files"** tab
3. Click **"Add file"** → **"Upload files"**
4. Upload all your files (drag & drop the entire `LinkScout` folder)

### Step 6: Set Environment Variables

1. Go to your Space settings
2. Click **"Settings"** tab
3. Scroll to **"Repository secrets"**
4. Add secrets:
   - Name: `GROQ_API_KEY`, Value: `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`
   - Name: `GOOGLE_API_KEY`, Value: `AIzaSyA9yKthZUnPAHFnmsnCZoikpvfUteJiX0s`
   - Name: `GOOGLE_CSE_ID`, Value: `11cbd494597034810`

### Step 7: Wait for Build

The Space will automatically build when you push files:

1. Go to **"Logs"** tab to watch build progress
2. First build takes **10-15 minutes** (downloads models)
3. Look for:
   ```
   ✅ RoBERTa loaded
   ✅ Emotion model loaded
   ...
   🚀 Starting LinkScout server on port 7860...
   Running on http://0.0.0.0:7860
   ```

### Step 8: Get Your API URL

Once deployed, your backend will be at:

```
https://YOUR_USERNAME-linkscout-backend.hf.space
```

**Example endpoints:**
- Health check: `https://YOUR_USERNAME-linkscout-backend.hf.space/health`
- Analyze: `https://YOUR_USERNAME-linkscout-backend.hf.space/analyze`

---

## 🎯 Advantages of HuggingFace Spaces

| Feature | Render Free | HuggingFace Free |
|---------|-------------|------------------|
| **RAM** | 512MB ❌ | 16GB ✅ |
| **ML Models** | Can't load ❌ | Perfect ✅ |
| **Sleep** | After 15 min ⚠️ | Always on ✅ |
| **Build Time** | Fast | Fast |
| **Custom Domain** | Yes ✅ | Yes ✅ |
| **For Your App** | Won't work ❌ | Perfect! ✅ |

---

## 🔧 Troubleshooting

### Build Fails
- Check logs for errors
- Verify all files uploaded
- Check Dockerfile syntax

### Models Won't Load
- Check you have 16GB RAM selected (CPU basic)
- Verify requirements.txt has all dependencies
- Check logs for download errors

### API Not Responding
- Check Space is "Running" (not building)
- Verify port 7860 is used
- Test health endpoint first

### Environment Variables Not Working
- Make sure they're set as "Repository secrets"
- Restart the Space after adding secrets

---

## 🚀 Next Steps After Deployment

1. **Test your backend:**
   ```bash
   curl https://YOUR_USERNAME-linkscout-backend.hf.space/health
   ```

2. **Update your frontend** to use new URL:
   - Replace `http://localhost:5000` with your HF Space URL
   - Update in `app/search/page.tsx`

3. **Update extension** to use new URL:
   - Update `extension/popup.js` API_URL

4. **Deploy frontend on Vercel** (separate from backend)

---

## 💡 Cost Comparison

- **Render Free**: Can't run your app (512MB limit)
- **Railway Free**: $5/month credit, will run out
- **HuggingFace Free**: Unlimited, perfect for ML
- **Paid Options**: $7-20/month for more RAM

**HuggingFace Spaces is the ONLY truly free option that will work for your ML-heavy backend!**

---

## 📚 Resources

- HuggingFace Spaces Docs: https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces
- Docker SDK Guide: https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-sdks-docker
- HuggingFace Git: https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/repositories-getting-started

Good luck! 🚀