Python Developer to Deploy an Existing Content-Automation System to a Server + Build a Simple Web UI

Overview I run a small e-commerce business (rope products, Shopify store) and have an existing, working Python system that automates my content workflow. Right now it runs locally on my Mac. I want to move it to a proper server so it runs reliably and can be used by non-technical team members through a simple web page. I am not a developer myself, so I need someone who can set this up cleanly, securely, and explain the setup in plain language. What the system already does The codebase is mature (~40 Python scripts) and already works. In short, it: Reads product/test data from a Google Sheet (~25 columns) Stores state in a local SQLite database (used to avoid generating duplicate content) Uses an LLM (Anthropic/OpenAI) to generate blog articles into an HTML template Publishes the articles as drafts to Shopify, with the correct links and images Translates content (NL → FR/EN) Runs some tasks automatically on a schedule (cron) Secrets/API keys live in a .env file, it uses a Python virtual environment, and it's already structured into modules. What I need you to do Version control – Put the codebase on GitHub with a clean branch setup (a development branch for me/us and a main branch as the production version). Make sure secrets and the database are excluded from the repo. Server deployment – Set up a small VPS (e.g., Hetzner or DigitalOcean; I'll provide/pay for it) and get the system running there: database, scheduled tasks, and secrets handled securely. Add an automatic daily database backup. Migration fixes – Adapt the few parts that assume my local Mac (e.g., files read from a Downloads folder → upload via the web UI; personal Google login → a Google service account). Simple web interface – Build a lightweight web page (Streamlit preferred) where a non-technical user can: see new rows that don't have an article yet, generate an article, preview it, and publish it to Shopify as a draft (plus optionally trigger translation). Long-running jobs should run in the background with progress feedback, not freeze the page. Protect it with a simple login for my team. Handover – A short written setup doc + a walkthrough so I understand how to deploy updates (dev → main) and manage the server at a basic level. Tech stack Python, SQLite, Jinja2 templates, Shopify API, Anthropic/OpenAI APIs, Google Drive/Sheets API, cron. Streamlit for the UI. Linux VPS. Ideal candidate: Strong Python + comfortable deploying apps to a Linux VPS (this is the core of the job) Experience with Git/GitHub workflows, cron, keeping a service running, and handling secrets securely Has built and deployed at least one small web app before (please share an example) Bonus: Shopify API, LLM APIs, Google service accounts Clear communicator who can explain things simply to a non-developer Scope & budget I'd like to run this as fixed-price milestones (roughly matching the 5 tasks above). Please propose a milestone breakdown, a rough timeline, and your price. The existing code works, so this is primarily a deployment + light-UI project, not a build-from-scratch. To apply, please answer briefly: - Have you deployed a Python app (with a database and scheduled jobs) to a VPS before? Share one example. - What's your approach to keeping API keys/secrets safe on a server? - Roughly how would you split this into milestones, and what timeline do you expect?