Perfect: Server-Side Swift Deployment and Usage Guide

Prerequisites

• Swift 5.2 or later
• macOS or Linux (Ubuntu recommended for Linux deployments)
• Xcode 11 or later (for macOS development)
• Git for cloning the repository

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/PerfectlySoft/Perfect.git
cd Perfect

2. Build the Project

Using Xcode (macOS)

# Open the project in Xcode
open Perfect.xcodeproj

Using Swift Package Manager (macOS/Linux)

# Build the project
swift build

# Run tests
swift test

3. Install Additional Dependencies

Perfect has several optional modules that can be installed based on your needs:

# Install Perfect-HTTPServer
swift package update PerfectHTTPServer

# Install Perfect-SQLite
swift package update PerfectSQLite

# Install Perfect-PostgreSQL
swift package update PerfectPostgreSQL

Configuration

Environment Variables

Perfect doesn't require specific environment variables by default, but you may need to configure:

• Database connections: Set connection strings for your database of choice
• Server ports: Configure the HTTP server port (default is 8181)
• SSL certificates: For HTTPS deployments

Configuration Files

Create a configuration file for your application:

// Config.swift
public struct Config {
    static let serverPort: Int = 8181
    static let databaseURL: String = "sqlite://./database.db"
}

Build & Run

Development Server

# Build and run the development server
swift run PerfectTemplate

# Or build first, then run
swift build
.build/debug/PerfectTemplate

Production Build

# Build for release
swift build -c release

# Run the production server
.build/release/PerfectTemplate

Testing

# Run all tests
swift test

# Run specific tests
swift test --filter "PerfectLibTests"

Deployment

Platform Options

Perfect applications can be deployed to:

1. AWS (using Perfect Assistant)
2. Google Cloud Platform
3. Any Swift-compatible Linux server
4. Docker containers

Docker Deployment

# Dockerfile
FROM swift:5.2

WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN swift build -c release

EXPOSE 8181
CMD [".build/release/PerfectTemplate"]

Build and run:

docker build -t perfect-app .
docker run -p 8181:8181 perfect-app

AWS Deployment with Perfect Assistant

1. Download Perfect Assistant from perfect.org
2. Create a new project
3. Configure AWS credentials
4. Deploy to AWS EC2 or Lambda

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Swift Version Compatibility

Issue: Build fails due to Swift version mismatch Solution: Ensure you're using Swift 5.2 or later

swift --version

2. Missing Dependencies

Issue: Compilation errors for missing modules Solution: Update your Swift Package dependencies

swift package update

3. Port Already in Use

Issue: Server fails to start on port 8181 Solution: Change the server port in your configuration

// Change port number
Config.serverPort = 8080

4. Database Connection Issues

Issue: Unable to connect to database Solution: Verify database connection strings and permissions

// Check your database configuration
let db = try Database(Config.databaseURL)

5. File Permissions on Linux

Issue: Permission denied when accessing files Solution: Ensure proper file permissions

chmod +x /path/to/your/file

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging for troubleshooting:

// In your main.swift
Log.debug("Debug mode enabled")
Log.info("Application starting...")

Performance Monitoring

Use Perfect's built-in monitoring tools:

// Monitor request times
let startTime = Date()
// Your request handling code
let duration = Date().timeIntervalSince(startTime)
Log.info("Request completed in \(duration) seconds")

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of deploying and using Perfect for server-side Swift development. For more detailed documentation, visit the Perfect documentation repository.