myTradeTracker/SOLUTION_SUMMARY.md

Solution Summary - Account Creation Fix

Problem Identified

Your backend is running old cached code from a previous Docker build. Even though you updated the files on your Linux server, the running container has the old version because:

1. Docker cached the old code during the initial build
2. Rebuilding without --no-cache reused those cached layers
3. The old code had redirect_slashes=False which causes 307 redirects
4. Result: Account creation fails because API calls get redirected instead of processed

The Fix

Run the nuclear-fix.sh script on your Linux server. This script:

• Completely removes all old containers, images, and cache
• Rebuilds everything from scratch with --no-cache
• Tests that the correct code is running
• Verifies all endpoints work

Files Created for You

1. nuclear-fix.sh ⭐ MAIN FIX

Complete rebuild script that fixes everything. Run this first.

2. verify-backend-code.sh

Diagnostic script that shows exactly what code is running in the container. Use this if the nuclear fix doesn't work.

3. CRITICAL_FIX_README.md

Detailed explanation of the problem and multiple solution options.

4. transfer-to-server.sh

Helper script to transfer all files to your Linux server via SSH.

Quick Start

On your Mac:

cd /Users/chris/Desktop/fidelity

# Option A: Transfer files with helper script
./transfer-to-server.sh pi@starship2

# Option B: Manual transfer
scp nuclear-fix.sh verify-backend-code.sh CRITICAL_FIX_README.md pi@starship2:~/fidelity/
scp backend/app/main.py pi@starship2:~/fidelity/backend/app/

On your Linux server (starship2):

cd ~/fidelity

# Read the detailed explanation (optional)
cat CRITICAL_FIX_README.md

# Run the nuclear fix
./nuclear-fix.sh

# Watch the output - it will test everything automatically

Expected Results

After running nuclear-fix.sh, you should see:

✓ Backend health check: PASSED
✓ Accounts endpoint: PASSED (HTTP 200)
✓ Frontend: PASSED (HTTP 200)

Then when you create an account in the UI:

• The form submits successfully
• No spinning/loading forever
• Account appears in the list

If It Still Doesn't Work

Run the verification script:

./verify-backend-code.sh

This will show:

• What version of main.py is actually running
• Database connection details
• Registered routes
• Any configuration issues

Share the output and I can help further.

Technical Details

Why --no-cache Is Critical

Your current workflow:

1. ✅ Update files on Mac
2. ✅ Transfer to Linux server
3. ❌ Run docker compose build (WITHOUT --no-cache)
4. ❌ Docker reuses cached layers with OLD CODE
5. ❌ Container runs old code, account creation fails

Correct workflow:

1. ✅ Update files on Mac
2. ✅ Transfer to Linux server
3. ✅ Run docker compose build --no-cache
4. ✅ Docker rebuilds every layer with NEW CODE
5. ✅ Container runs new code, everything works

The Volume Mount Misconception

docker-compose.yml has:

volumes:
  - ./backend:/app

You might think: "Code changes should be automatic!"

Reality:

• Volume mount puts files in container ✅
• But uvicorn runs WITHOUT --reload flag ❌
• Python has already loaded modules into memory ❌
• Changing files doesn't restart the process ❌

For production (your setup), code is baked into the image at build time.

Why You See 307 Redirects

Old main.py had:

app = FastAPI(
    redirect_slashes=False,  # This was the problem!
    ...
)

This caused:

• Frontend calls: GET /api/accounts (no trailing slash)
• Route registered as: /api/accounts/ (with trailing slash)
• FastAPI can't match, returns 307 redirect
• Frontend doesn't follow redirect, gets stuck

New main.py (fixed):

app = FastAPI(
    # redirect_slashes defaults to True
    # Handles both /api/accounts and /api/accounts/
    ...
)

This works:

• Frontend calls: GET /api/accounts (no trailing slash)
• FastAPI auto-redirects internally to /api/accounts/
• Route matches, returns 200 with data ✅

Summary

Problem: Old code in Docker container Cause: Docker build cache Solution: Rebuild with --no-cache Script: nuclear-fix.sh does this automatically

Transfer the files and run the script. It should work!