Streamlit Cloud Deployment - Python Arcade Suite

Deploy your Python Arcade Suite to Streamlit Cloud for free, production-ready hosting with automatic CI/CD from GitHub.

Overview

Streamlit Cloud is a platform specifically designed for deploying Streamlit applications. It offers:

Free Hosting

Host public apps at no cost

Automatic CI/CD

Deploy automatically from GitHub commits

Easy Setup

No server configuration required

Built-in Monitoring

Access logs and performance metrics

The live demo of Python Arcade Suite is hosted at: https://simplegames-46v2swaudmtbld5233dwbp.streamlit.app/

Prerequisites

Before deploying to Streamlit Cloud, you’ll need:

GitHub Account

Create a free account at github.com if you don’t have one.

Streamlit Cloud Account

Repository Access

Either fork the Python Arcade repository or push your own version to GitHub.

Your GitHub repository must be public for Streamlit Cloud’s free tier, or you’ll need a Streamlit Cloud Teams account for private repositories.

Deployment Process

Prepare Your Repository

Ensure your GitHub repository has the required files:

streamlit_app.py (main application file)
requirements.txt (Python dependencies)
All game modules (blackjack/, Hangman/, Rock_paper_or_scissors/)

The entry point must be named streamlit_app.py or you’ll need to specify a different filename during deployment.

Navigate to share.streamlit.io
Click “Sign in with GitHub”
Authorize Streamlit to access your GitHub repositories

Streamlit Cloud needs repository access to pull your code and set up automatic deployments.

Create a New App

Click “New app” from your Streamlit Cloud dashboard
Select your deployment method:
- From existing repo: Use code already on GitHub
- Start from template: Begin with a sample app

For Python Arcade Suite, choose “From existing repo”.

Configure Deployment Settings

Fill in the deployment configuration:

Repository: Select your Python Arcade repository
Branch: Choose main or your preferred branch
Main file path: Enter streamlit_app.py

Repository: your-username/Python_Arcade
Branch: main
Main file path: streamlit_app.py

You can optionally set a custom subdomain under Advanced settings.

Advanced Configuration (Optional)

Click “Advanced settings” to configure:

Python version: Specify version (default is 3.9)
Environment variables: Add secrets or config values
Custom domain: Use your own domain name (Teams plan)

For Python Arcade Suite, the default settings work perfectly.

Deploy the App

Click “Deploy!”
Streamlit Cloud will:
- Clone your repository
- Install dependencies from requirements.txt
- Launch your application

The deployment typically takes 2-5 minutes.

You can watch the build logs in real-time during deployment.

Access Your Live App

Once deployment completes, you’ll receive a URL like:

https://your-app-name-random-id.streamlit.app/

Share this URL with anyone - your app is now live!

Configuration Requirements

requirements.txt

Your requirements.txt must list all Python dependencies:

streamlit

If you add new dependencies locally, update requirements.txt using:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

However, it’s often better to manually curate this file to include only direct dependencies.

Repository Structure

Ensure your repository maintains this structure:

Python_Arcade/
├── streamlit_app.py          # Required: Main entry point
├── requirements.txt          # Required: Dependencies
├── README.md                 # Recommended: Project documentation
├── blackjack/
│   └── streamlit_game.py
├── Hangman/
│   └── streamlit_game.py
└── Rock_paper_or_scissors/
    └── streamlit_game.py

Optional: Streamlit Configuration

Create .streamlit/config.toml for custom settings:

[theme]
primaryColor = "#FF4B4B"
backgroundColor = "#FFFFFF"
secondaryBackgroundColor = "#F0F2F6"
textColor = "#262730"
font = "sans serif"

[server]
headless = true
enableCORS = false
port = 8501

Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

Streamlit Cloud automatically redeploys your app when you push changes to GitHub:

Make Changes Locally

Edit your code on your local machine and test thoroughly.

Commit and Push

git add .
git commit -m "Add new game feature"
git push origin main

Automatic Deployment

Streamlit Cloud detects the push and automatically:

Pulls the latest code
Reinstalls dependencies if requirements.txt changed
Restarts the application

Deployments typically complete within 2-3 minutes.

Verify Changes

Visit your app URL to confirm the updates are live.

Active users will see a brief “Reconnecting” message during redeployment.

Monitoring and Logs

Accessing Logs

Go to your Streamlit Cloud dashboard
Click on your app
Select the “Logs” tab

Logs display:

Application startup messages
Print statements and errors
Streamlit system messages
Deployment events

Logs are retained for the current session only. For persistent logging, consider external services.

App Analytics

Streamlit Cloud provides basic analytics:

Viewer count: Number of active viewers
Resource usage: CPU and memory consumption
Uptime: App availability status

Access analytics from your app’s dashboard page.

Health Checks

Streamlit Cloud automatically monitors:

App responsiveness
Error rates
Resource limits

Apps on the free tier have resource limits. If your app exceeds limits, it may temporarily shut down.

Updating Your Deployment

Manual Reboot

If your app isn’t responding:

Go to your app’s dashboard
Click the ”⋮” menu (three dots)
Select “Reboot app”

Changing Settings

To modify deployment settings:

Click “Settings” from your app dashboard
Update configuration (branch, Python version, etc.)
Click “Save” - the app will redeploy automatically

Rolling Back Changes

To revert to a previous version:

# Find the commit you want to revert to
git log --oneline

# Revert to that commit
git revert <commit-hash>
git push origin main

Streamlit Cloud will automatically deploy the reverted version.

Custom Domains (Teams Plan)

While the free tier provides a *.streamlit.app subdomain, Teams plan users can configure custom domains:

Navigate to Settings → Domain
Enter your custom domain (e.g., arcade.yourdomain.com)
Add the provided CNAME record to your DNS settings
Wait for DNS propagation (up to 48 hours)

Custom domains require a Streamlit Cloud Teams subscription.

Resource Limits

Streamlit Cloud free tier has the following limits:

Resource	Limit
CPU	1 core (shared)
Memory	1 GB RAM
Storage	Limited to app size
Apps	Unlimited public apps

Apps that consistently exceed resource limits may be throttled or suspended.

Best Practices

Optimize Performance

Use @st.cache_data and @st.cache_resource to reduce computation

Handle Secrets Securely

Store API keys in Streamlit Cloud secrets, not in code

Test Before Pushing

Always test changes locally before deploying

Monitor Logs

Regularly check logs for errors and warnings

Troubleshooting

Deployment Failed

Problem: App fails to deploy with errors Solutions:

Check build logs for specific error messages
Verify requirements.txt has all dependencies
Ensure Python version compatibility
Check for syntax errors in code

App Running Slowly

Problem: App is slow or unresponsive Solutions:

Implement caching with @st.cache_data
Reduce computational complexity
Optimize session state usage
Consider upgrading to a Teams plan for more resources

Module Import Errors

Problem: ModuleNotFoundError in production Solutions:

# Add missing dependency to requirements.txt
echo "missing-package" >> requirements.txt
git add requirements.txt
git commit -m "Add missing dependency"
git push

App Goes to Sleep

Problem: App becomes inactive after no usage Solutions:

Free tier apps sleep after inactivity (expected behavior)
App wakes automatically when accessed
Upgrade to Teams plan for always-on apps

Security Considerations

Never commit sensitive information (API keys, passwords, tokens) to your repository.

Using Secrets

For sensitive configuration:

Go to app Settings → Secrets

Add secrets in TOML format:

api_key = "your-secret-key"
database_url = "your-connection-string"

Access in code:

import streamlit as st
api_key = st.secrets["api_key"]

Get Started

Games

Technical Guide

Deployment

​Overview

Free Hosting

Automatic CI/CD

Easy Setup

Built-in Monitoring

​Prerequisites

​Deployment Process

​Configuration Requirements

​requirements.txt

​Repository Structure

​Optional: Streamlit Configuration

​Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

​Monitoring and Logs

​Accessing Logs

​App Analytics

​Health Checks

​Updating Your Deployment

​Manual Reboot

​Changing Settings

​Rolling Back Changes

​Custom Domains (Teams Plan)

​Resource Limits

​Best Practices

Optimize Performance

Handle Secrets Securely

Test Before Pushing

Monitor Logs

​Troubleshooting

​Deployment Failed

​App Running Slowly

​Module Import Errors

​App Goes to Sleep

​Security Considerations

​Using Secrets

​Next Steps

Local Development

Streamlit Docs

Streamlit Cloud

Community Forum

​Additional Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Prerequisites

Deployment Process

Configuration Requirements

requirements.txt

Repository Structure

Optional: Streamlit Configuration

Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

Monitoring and Logs

Accessing Logs

App Analytics

Health Checks

Updating Your Deployment

Manual Reboot

Changing Settings

Rolling Back Changes

Custom Domains (Teams Plan)

Resource Limits

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Deployment Failed

App Running Slowly

Module Import Errors

App Goes to Sleep

Security Considerations

Using Secrets

Next Steps

Additional Resources