System Overview: We were given a very barebones server.js file that sets up the app to listen to some port. I also had a .env file that stored API and URI keys for third party technology. Both of these files were stored inside a backend folder We were required to deploy our application to a remote server. We decided to use Heroku due to its ease of use and simple integration with git.

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Problem: The API was the first component that needed to be deployed so that the front-end developers could begin working with it. Therefore, I had to set up and deploy the first build to Heroku. However, my builds kept failing even though everything worked fine on my local host. I repeatedly got errors for my MongoDB URI key not being found, but it was stored inside my .env file. 

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Solution: I began debugging by looking through all error messages that I could find during the build process. I had to look up many error codes and possible fixes for them. However, none of the forums I looked at really helped solve my problem. I was then able to stumble upon a small post that said to verify .env was in the root folder in order for Heroku to recognize it. When I moved my .env file to the root folder, everything worked as expected and I got the first successful build in the project. I documented my process for my team members, and was able to guide them through deploying to Heroku.

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What I Learned: I was forced to troubleshoot technology that I have no prior experience with by myself, helping me learn how to solve new problems without guidance.