Building an LLM application involves more than just writing the core logic. Getting it running reliably for users requires effective deployment and operational management. This chapter concentrates on the practical steps needed to transition your Python LLM application from a development setup to a production environment.

We will cover packaging the application code, using Docker for containerization, and examining different deployment strategies such as serverless functions or virtual machines. You will learn how to create API endpoints using frameworks like FastAPI or Flask, making your application accessible over the network. Furthermore, we address monitoring the deployed application for performance and cost, integrating version control and CI/CD practices for better maintainability, and discuss ongoing operational considerations for keeping the system running smoothly.