Settings Configuration

FromEdwin Monitor uses a modular Django settings structure that separates configuration based on the deployment environment. This approach provides better security, maintainability, and flexibility across different deployment scenarios.

Settings Structure

The settings are organized in a dedicated settings/ package with the following structure:

src/settings/
├── __init__.py          # Package initialization and documentation
├── base.py              # Common settings shared across all environments
├── dev.py               # Development-specific settings
└── prod.py              # Production-specific settings

Base Settings (base.py)

The base settings file contains all common configuration that applies to every environment:

Core Django Configuration

• Application Definition: All installed apps and middleware

• Database Configuration: Default database setup with environment variable support

• Authentication: Django and social authentication backends

• Templates: Template engine configuration

• Static Files: Static file handling and storage backends

Third-Party Services

• Celery: Message queue configuration for background tasks

• InfluxDB: Time-series database for metrics storage

• Sentry: Error tracking and performance monitoring

• S3 Storage: Cloud storage configuration (optional)

Application-Specific Settings

• Monitoring Intervals: Service check frequencies and thresholds

• Freemium Limits: Resource limits for free tier users

• Email Configuration: SMTP settings and templates

• Social Authentication: GitHub OAuth integration

Development Settings (dev.py)

Development settings extend the base configuration with developer-friendly defaults:

Debug Configuration

DEBUG = True
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['localhost', '127.0.0.1', '0.0.0.0']

Development Tools

• Console Email Backend: Emails are printed to console instead of being sent

• Synchronous Celery: Tasks execute immediately for easier debugging

• Debug Logging: Verbose logging to console for development

Database

• SQLite Default: Uses local SQLite database when DATABASE_URL is not set

• Django Debug Toolbar: Available for database query analysis

Production Settings (prod.py)

Production settings prioritize security, performance, and reliability:

Security Headers

SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = True
SECURE_HSTS_SECONDS = 31536000
SECURE_HSTS_INCLUDE_SUBDOMAINS = True
SECURE_CONTENT_TYPE_NOSNIFF = True
SECURE_BROWSER_XSS_FILTER = True
X_FRAME_OPTIONS = 'DENY'

Performance Optimizations

• Redis Caching: Distributed caching for improved performance

• Session Storage: Cache-based session storage

• Asynchronous Celery: Background task processing

Production Logging

• File Logging: Structured logging to /var/log/django/django.log

• Error Reporting: Enhanced error tracking and monitoring

• Log Rotation: Automatic log file management

Required Environment Variables

Production settings validate that critical environment variables are set:

• DATABASE_URL: Database connection string

• EMAIL_HOST: SMTP server for email delivery

• SECRET_KEY: Django secret key (must be secure)

Environment Variables

Required for All Environments

SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
DOMAIN=yourdomain.com

Database Configuration

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost/dbname

Email Configuration

EMAIL_HOST=smtp.yourdomain.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_HOST_USER=your-email@yourdomain.com
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-password
EMAIL_USE_TLS=True

External Services

# Sentry (Error Tracking)
SENTRY_DSN=https://your-sentry-dsn
SENTRY_ENVIRONMENT=production

# InfluxDB (Metrics Storage)
INFLUXDB_URL=http://localhost:8086
INFLUXDB_TOKEN=your-influxdb-token
INFLUXDB_ORG=your-organization
INFLUXDB_BUCKET=your-bucket

# Celery (Message Queue)
CELERY_BROKER_URL=amqp://user:pass@localhost:5672/
CELERY_BROKER_UI_URL=http://localhost:15672

# S3 Storage (Optional)
STORAGE=S3
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-access-key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret-key
AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME=your-bucket
AWS_S3_CUSTOM_DOMAIN=your-cdn-domain.com

Usage

Development

# Set environment variable
export DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=fromedwin.settings.dev

# Run development server
python manage.py runserver

# Run tests
python manage.py test

Production

# Set environment variable
export DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=fromedwin.settings.prod

# Collect static files
python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

# Run migrations
python manage.py migrate

# Start application server
gunicorn core.wsgi:application

Docker Deployment

# In your Dockerfile
ENV DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=fromedwin.settings.prod

# Or in docker-compose.yml
environment:
  - DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=fromedwin.settings.prod

Entry Points Configuration

Different Django entry points use appropriate settings:

• manage.py: Uses fromedwin.settings.dev for development commands

• core/wsgi.py: Uses fromedwin.settings.prod for production WSGI server

• core/asgi.py: Uses fromedwin.settings.prod for production ASGI server

• core/celery.py: Uses fromedwin.settings.prod for Celery workers

Migration from Legacy Settings

If you’re upgrading from a previous version with a single settings.py file:

1. Environment Variables: No changes needed - all environment variables work the same way

2. Import Statements: Code using from django.conf import settings continues to work unchanged

3. Custom Settings: Add any custom settings to the appropriate environment file

Best Practices

Security

• Never commit secret keys or passwords to version control

• Use environment variables for all sensitive configuration

• Regularly rotate secret keys and API tokens

Environment Management

• Use different databases for development and production

• Test production settings in a staging environment

• Monitor application logs for configuration issues

Performance

• Use Redis caching in production

• Configure appropriate database connection pooling

• Monitor resource usage and adjust limits as needed

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

ImportError: No module named ‘settings’

# Ensure you're in the correct directory
cd src/
export DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=fromedwin.settings.dev

Database Configuration Error

# Check DATABASE_URL format
export DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@host:port/database

Static Files Not Loading

# Collect static files for production
python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

Debugging Configuration

# Check current settings
python manage.py shell
>>> from django.conf import settings
>>> print(settings.DEBUG)
>>> print(settings.DATABASES)

Advanced Configuration

Custom Environment

To create a custom environment (e.g., staging):

1. Create fromedwin/settings/staging.py

2. Import from base settings

3. Override specific configurations

4. Set DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=fromedwin.settings.staging

Configuration Validation

# In your custom settings file
from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured

def get_env_variable(var_name):
    """Get environment variable or raise exception."""
    try:
        return os.environ[var_name]
    except KeyError:
        error_msg = f"Set the {var_name} environment variable"
        raise ImproperlyConfigured(error_msg)

This modular approach ensures that FromEdwin Monitor can be easily deployed across different environments while maintaining security and performance best practices.