When deploying a Python application, what considerations should be made regarding file paths to avoid 'No such file or directory' errors in production?

For deployed applications, crucial considerations include: 1. **Absolute Paths or Paths Relative to Script:** Always use absolute paths or paths explicitly relative to the *script's location* (e.g., `Path(__file__).parent / 'data' / 'config.json'`) rather than relying on the CWD, which can vary wildly in deployment environments (e.g., Docker, systemd, web servers). 2. **Environment Variables:** External configuration files (like database credentials, API keys) or paths to user-generated content are often best managed via environment variables which can be set externally to the application. 3. **Containerization (Docker):** Ensure that any data files your application needs are correctly copied into the Docker image or mounted as volumes at the expected paths. 4. **Read-Only Filesystems:** If deploying to a read-only filesystem (common in serverless or some container setups), ensure any paths for writing temporary files are directed to an allowed location (e.g., `/tmp`). 5. **Logging & Monitoring:** Implement robust logging of paths being accessed, so if an error occurs, you can see the exact path Python tried to use in the production environment.