Environment Configuration

Relevant source files

The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:

• becathlon/settings.py
• pbp-deploy.sh
• README.md
• IMPLEMENTATION.md
• apps/main/templates/main/home.html
• apps/stores/templates/stores/base_stores.html

The Becathlon project employs a flexible configuration system that adapts to different environments, primarily distinguishing between local development and production deployment. The configuration is managed through environment variables, with sensible defaults provided for a seamless local development experience. The central file for this system is becathlon/settings.py.

This setup allows developers to run the application locally using SQLite and debug mode, while the production environment on PWS (Pusat-sumber-belajar-dan-ilmu-pengetahuan) uses a more robust PostgreSQL database and production-ready security settings. The deployment process is automated via the pbp-deploy.sh script.

Core Configuration

Core application settings are dynamically configured based on environment variables. If these variables are not set, the application falls back to default values suitable for local development.

Sources: becathlon/settings.py:23-32

Key Environment Variables

The following table outlines the main environment variables that control the application's behavior.

Variable	Purpose	Default / Fallback
SECRET_KEY	Django's secret key for cryptographic signing.	A hardcoded insecure key.
DEBUG	Toggles Django's debug mode.	'True'
ALLOWED_HOSTS	A list of allowed host/domain names.	'localhost,127.0.0.1,testserver'
DB_NAME	The name of the PostgreSQL database.	None (triggers SQLite fallback)
DB_USER	The username for the PostgreSQL database.	None
DB_PASSWORD	The password for the PostgreSQL database.	None
DB_HOST	The host for the PostgreSQL database.	None
DB_PORT	The port for the PostgreSQL database.	'5432'
SCHEMA	The PostgreSQL schema name.	None
STATIC_URL	URL to use when referring to static files.	'/static/'
STATIC_ROOT	The absolute path to the directory where collectstatic will collect static files.	BASE_DIR / 'staticfiles'
MEDIA_URL	URL that handles media served from MEDIA_ROOT.	'/media/'
MEDIA_ROOT	Absolute filesystem path to the directory that will hold user-uploaded files.	BASE_DIR / 'media'

Sources: becathlon/settings.py:26-193

Database Configuration

The application features a dynamic database configuration that switches between PostgreSQL for production and SQLite for local development. This logic is determined by the presence of DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST environment variables.

The following diagram illustrates the database selection logic.

This diagram shows how the application decides which database backend to use based on environment variables.
Sources: becathlon/settings.py:101-133

PostgreSQL Configuration (Production)

When PostgreSQL environment variables are detected, the system configures a connection with the specified credentials. It can also set a specific PostgreSQL schema if the SCHEMA environment variable is provided.

# becathlon/settings.py:109-126
if DB_NAME and DB_USER and DB_PASSWORD and DB_HOST:
    # Use PostgreSQL with university-provided credentials
    db_config = {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
        'NAME': DB_NAME,
        'USER': DB_USER,
        'PASSWORD': DB_PASSWORD,
        'HOST': DB_HOST,
        'PORT': DB_PORT or '5432',  # Default PostgreSQL port
        'ATOMIC_REQUESTS': False,  # Allow non-atomic operations for complex migrations
        'CONN_MAX_AGE': 0,  # Close connections immediately to avoid transaction issues
    }
    
    # Add schema search path if specified
    if DB_SCHEMA:
        db_config['OPTIONS'] = {
            'options': f'-c search_path={DB_SCHEMA},public'
        }

Sources: becathlon/settings.py:109-126

SQLite Configuration (Development)

If the PostgreSQL environment variables are not set, the application defaults to using a simple db.sqlite3 file in the project's base directory, which is ideal for local development.

# becathlon/settings.py:130-133
    # Fallback to SQLite for local development
    DATABASES = {
        'default': {
            'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
            'NAME': BASE_DIR / 'db.sqlite3',
        }
    }

Sources: becathlon/settings.py:130-133

Static & Media Files

The project uses WhiteNoise to serve static files efficiently in a production environment. The configuration switches between whitenoise.storage.CompressedStaticFilesStorage and Django's default StaticFilesStorage based on whether whitenoise is installed.

Static File Storage Logic

This diagram shows the conditional configuration of the static files storage backend.
Sources: becathlon/settings.py:194-214

Key Settings

• STATIC_URL: The URL prefix for static files, defaulting to /static/.
• STATIC_ROOT: The directory where manage.py collectstatic gathers all static files for deployment. It is set to BASE_DIR / 'staticfiles'.
• STATICFILES_DIRS: An additional list of directories to find static files. It is configured to include the BASE_DIR / "static" directory if it exists.
• MEDIA_URL / MEDIA_ROOT: Configured for handling user-uploaded files, stored in the media directory.

The pbp-deploy.sh script executes python manage.py collectstatic --noinput --clear to ensure all static assets from different apps are collected into STATIC_ROOT before deployment.

Sources: becathlon/settings.py:188-222, pbp-deploy.sh:12-13

Application Structure (INSTALLED_APPS)

The project is organized into several Django apps, each responsible for a specific feature module.

App Name	Configuration Class	Purpose
apps.main	MainConfig	Homepage, navigation, and base templates.
apps.authentication	AuthenticationConfig	User login, registration, and logout.
apps.catalog	CatalogConfig	Product listings, categories, and details.
apps.cart	CartConfig	Shopping cart management.
apps.profiles	ProfilesConfig	User profiles and preferences.
apps.stores	StoresConfig	Store locator functionality.
apps.recommendation	RecommendationConfig	Product recommendation system.
apps.order	OrderConfig	Order history and management.

This modular structure is defined in INSTALLED_APPS and documented in the README.md.

Sources: becathlon/settings.py:65-76, README.md:92-108

Security

Security settings are hardened for production by checking if DEBUG is False.

Production Security Settings

When DEBUG is False, the following settings are enabled:

• SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = True: Ensures session cookies are only sent over HTTPS.
• CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = True: Ensures CSRF cookies are only sent over HTTPS.
• SECURE_BROWSER_XSS_FILTER = True: Enables the browser's XSS filter.
• SECURE_CONTENT_TYPE_NOSNIFF = True: Prevents the browser from MIME-sniffing the content type.
• X_FRAME_OPTIONS = 'DENY': Prevents the site from being rendered in an <iframe>.

Additionally, CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS is configured to allow POST requests from the PWS deployment domains.

# becathlon/settings.py:35-39
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = [
    'https://muhammad-vegard-becathlon.pbp.cs.ui.ac.id',
    'https://pbp.cs.ui.ac.id',
    'https://muhammad.vegard.pbp.cs.ui.ac.id',
]

Sources: becathlon/settings.py:35-51

Deployment Process

The deployment to the PWS environment is handled by the pbp-deploy.sh script. This script automates the necessary setup steps for a production environment.

Deployment Flow

The following diagram illustrates the steps executed by the deployment script.

This sequence shows the automated steps for preparing the application for production.

Sources: pbp-deploy.sh

This configuration ensures that the Becathlon application is both easy to develop locally and robust when deployed to a production environment, with clear separation of concerns and automated setup processes.