Deployment Guide for MTJ Data Analytics Website

Prerequisites Checklist

Before deploying, ensure you have:

  • ✅ R installed (version 4.0+)
  • ✅ Quarto CLI installed (download from https://quarto.org)
  • ✅ All website files in the project folder
  • ✅ Your logo file (save as logo.png in the project root)

Step-by-Step Deployment

Step 1: Install Quarto

  1. Go to https://quarto.org/docs/get-started/

  2. Download the installer for your operating system:

    • Windows: quarto-x.x.x-win.msi
    • macOS: quarto-x.x.x-macos.pkg
    • Linux: quarto-x.x.x-linux-amd64.deb or .tar.gz

  3. Run the installer

  4. Verify installation by opening terminal/command prompt and typing:

    quarto --version

Step 2: Build the Website

Option B: Using R Console

# Install quarto package if needed
install.packages("quarto")

# Load the package
library(quarto)

# Build the website
quarto_render()

Option C: Using Command Line/Terminal

# Navigate to the website folder
cd /path/to/website

# Render the website
quarto render

Step 3: Preview Locally

Before deploying, preview the website:

In RStudio:

quarto::quarto_preview()

In Terminal:

quarto preview

This opens the website in your browser at http://localhost:4200

Step 4: Deploy to Web

Deployment Option 1: GitHub Pages (Recommended - FREE)

Requirements: GitHub account

Steps:

  1. Create a new repository on GitHub

  2. Initialize git in your project folder:

    git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial website commit"

  3. Connect to GitHub:

    git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/mtj-website.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

  4. Enable GitHub Pages:

    • Go to repository Settings
    • Click “Pages” in sidebar
    • Under “Source”, select “Deploy from a branch”
    • Select “main” branch and “/docs” folder
    • Click “Save”

  5. Your website will be live at: https://yourusername.github.io/mtj-website

  6. (Optional) Connect custom domain:

    • In repository settings → Pages → Custom domain
    • Enter your domain (e.g., www.mtjdataanalytics.com)
    • Update DNS settings at your domain provider

DNS Settings for Custom Domain: Add these records at your domain provider:

Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: yourusername.github.io

Type: A
Name: @
Value: 185.199.108.153
Value: 185.199.109.153
Value: 185.199.110.153
Value: 185.199.111.153

Deployment Option 2: Netlify (Easy - FREE)

Requirements: Netlify account (free at netlify.com)

Method A: Drag and Drop

  1. Build the website (generates docs/ folder)
  2. Go to https://app.netlify.com/drop
  3. Drag and drop the docs/ folder
  4. Done! Your site is live with a netlify.app subdomain

Method B: Continuous Deployment via GitHub

  1. Push code to GitHub (see GitHub Pages steps 1-3)
  2. Log in to Netlify
  3. Click “New site from Git”
  4. Connect to GitHub and select your repository
  5. Configure build settings:
    • Build command: quarto render
    • Publish directory: docs
  6. Click “Deploy site”
  7. Netlify auto-deploys when you push to GitHub

Connect Custom Domain: - Site settings → Domain management - Add custom domain - Follow DNS setup instructions

Deployment Option 3: Vercel (FREE)

  1. Install Vercel CLI:

    npm install -g vercel

  2. Deploy:

    cd docs
vercel

  3. Follow prompts to deploy

Deployment Option 4: Your Own Web Server

Requirements: Web hosting with FTP/SSH access

Steps:

  1. Build the website (generates docs/ folder)
  2. Connect to your server via FTP (FileZilla, WinSCP) or SSH
  3. Upload contents of docs/ folder to your web root:
    • Usually: /public_html/ or /var/www/html/
  4. Ensure file permissions are correct (644 for files, 755 for folders)
  5. Visit your domain to view the site

cPanel Instructions: 1. Log into cPanel 2. Go to File Manager 3. Navigate to public_html 4. Click “Upload” and upload all files from docs/ folder 5. Done!

Custom Domain Setup

DNS Configuration

To point your domain to the website:

For GitHub Pages:

CNAME record: www → yourusername.github.io
A records: @ → 185.199.108-111.153

For Netlify:

CNAME record: www → your-site.netlify.app
A records provided by Netlify

For Vercel:

CNAME record: www → cname.vercel-dns.com

DNS Propagation: - Changes can take 24-48 hours to propagate globally - Test with: https://dnschecker.org

SSL Certificate (HTTPS)

  • GitHub Pages: Automatic SSL, enable in settings
  • Netlify: Automatic SSL with Let’s Encrypt
  • Vercel: Automatic SSL
  • Own Server: Use Let’s Encrypt or Certbot

Updating the Website

After making changes:

  1. Edit the .qmd files as needed

  2. Rebuild the website:

    quarto render

  3. Deploy updated files:

    • GitHub Pages: Push to GitHub
    • Netlify: Push to GitHub (auto-deploys) or re-upload
    • Vercel: Push to GitHub or run vercel
    • Own Server: Re-upload docs/ folder

Troubleshooting

Build Fails

Error: “quarto command not found” - Solution: Install Quarto CLI from quarto.org

Error: “cannot open file” - Solution: Check all .qmd files are present

Website Not Loading

Problem: 404 error - GitHub Pages: Wait 5-10 minutes, check Pages is enabled - Check: Files uploaded to correct directory

Problem: Broken links or missing CSS - Solution: Ensure relative paths are correct - Check: All files from docs/ uploaded

Custom Domain Issues

Problem: Domain not working - Check: DNS records are correct - Wait: DNS propagation (24-48 hours) - Test: Use https://dnschecker.org

Maintenance Checklist

Monthly Tasks

Quarterly Tasks

Yearly Tasks

Support Resources

  • Quarto Documentation: https://quarto.org/docs/
  • GitHub Pages Guide: https://pages.github.com/
  • Netlify Docs: https://docs.netlify.com/
  • MTJ Support: info@mtjdataanalytics.com

Quick Command Reference

# Build website
quarto render

# Preview locally
quarto preview

# Check Quarto version
quarto --version

# Git commands
git add .
git commit -m "Update website"
git push

# Deploy to Vercel
cd docs && vercel

Need Help?

Contact MTJ Data Analytics: - Email: info@mtjdataanalytics.com - WhatsApp: +234 901 944 1200 - Phone: +234 802 247 4330