Replaced local_settings.py with .env

Using environment variables is a more standard way of setting settings
like these.

(Removed the `NOTE: This must be changed in production!` comments in
`settings.py`, as `env.py` now enforces that those settings have been
set.)

Also added a `channels_redis` logger from the current
`local_settings_post.py` file on the prod server.

Author: ddabble

.env.example

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# --- Core settings ---
+DEBUG='True'
+SECRET_KEY='INSECURE_SECRET'
+# This must be a JSON-encoded array of strings
+ALLOWED_HOSTS='["*"]'
+
+# --- Databases ---
+# This is relative to the `REPO_DIR` setting - except if it starts with a `/`, of course
+SQLITE_DB_PATH='db.sqlite3'
+
+# --- `django-hosts` ---
+PARENT_HOST='makentnu.localhost:8000'
+
+# --- Cookies ---
+COOKIE_DOMAIN='.makentnu.localhost'
+COOKIE_SECURE='False'
+
+# --- Static and media files ---
+# This is relative to the `REPO_DIR` setting - except if it starts with a `/`, of course
+STATIC_AND_MEDIA_FILES__PARENT_DIR='../'
+
+# --- Emailing ---
+EMAIL_HOST='localhost'
+EMAIL_HOST_USER='test'
+EMAIL_PORT='25'
+EMAIL_USE_TLS='False'
+DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL='test@localhost'
+SERVER_EMAIL='server@localhost'
+EMAIL_SUBJECT_PREFIX='[Django] '  # Note the trailing space
+# This must be a JSON-encoded array of 2-element arrays [<full name>, <email address>]
+# (see https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/settings/#admins)
+ADMINS='[]'
+
+# --- Dataporten/Feide ---
+USE_DATAPORTEN_AUTH='False'
+SOCIAL_AUTH_DATAPORTEN_KEY='KEY'
+SOCIAL_AUTH_DATAPORTEN_SECRET='SECRET'
+
+# --- Checkin ---
+CHECKIN_KEY='KEY'

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install Python dependencies
         run: uv sync --locked --group ci
 
+      - name: Create `.env`
+        shell: bash
+        run: cp .env.example .env
+
       - name: Run Django Tests
         run: |
           uv run manage.py collectstatic --no-input

.gitignore

@@ -473,6 +473,4 @@ pip-selfcheck.json
 
 # End of https://www.toptal.com/developers/gitignore/api/django,pycharm+all,venv,visualstudiocode,macos,node
 
-
 !src/web/static/lib/
-local_settings_post.py

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ Lastly, a new [release](https://github.com/MAKENTNU/web/releases) must be create
 - Prevented `compilemessages` from processing files outside the `src` folder (MAKENTNU/web#766)
 - Migrated project to use the more modern `pyproject.toml` and [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) instead of `requirements.txt` and pip
   (MAKENTNU/web#766)
+- Replaced `local_settings.py` with `.env` (MAKENTNU/web#767)
+  - Developers must create a `.env` file locally - see the "Setup" section of the README
 
 
 ## 2025-05-03 (MAKENTNU/web#757)

README.md

@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
    ```shell
    uv sync --group dev
    ```
+1. Create an empty `.env` file directly inside the repository folder, and fill it by
+   copying the contents of [`.env.example`](.env.example)
 
 #### PyCharm
 

docker-compose.yml

@@ -10,3 +10,5 @@ services:
       - ./:/web
     ports:
       - "8000:8000"
+    env_file:
+      - .env

env.py

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+import json
+import os
+from enum import StrEnum
+from typing import Final
+
+from dotenv import load_dotenv
+
+# Load the environment variables in the `.env` file
+load_dotenv()
+
+_NOT_PROVIDED: Final = object()
+
+
+class DatabaseSystem(StrEnum):
+    POSTGRESQL = "postgres"
+    SQLITE = "sqlite"
+
+
+def get_envvar(name: str, *, default: str = _NOT_PROVIDED) -> str:
+    """Returns the environment variable with name ``name``.
+    If it doesn't exist and ``default`` has been provided, ``default`` is returned."""
+    value = os.environ.get(name)
+    if value is None or value == "":
+        if default is _NOT_PROVIDED:
+            raise KeyError(f"Missing environment variable `{name}`.")
+        value = default
+    return value
+
+
+def get_bool_envvar(name: str, *, default: bool = _NOT_PROVIDED) -> bool:
+    """Returns the same as ``get_envvar()``, but with the value interpreted as a
+    ``bool``: ``True`` if the value equals ``"true"`` (case-insensitive), ``False``
+    otherwise."""
+    value = get_envvar(
+        name,
+        default=str(default) if type(default) is bool else default,
+    )
+    return value.lower() == "true"
+
+
+# DEV: If a setting *should* be specified in prod, it should *not* have a `default`!
+
+# --- Core settings ---
+DEBUG: Final = get_bool_envvar("DEBUG")
+SECRET_KEY: Final = get_envvar("SECRET_KEY")
+ALLOWED_HOSTS: Final = list(json.loads(get_envvar("ALLOWED_HOSTS")))
+INTERNAL_IPS: Final = list(
+    json.loads(get_envvar("INTERNAL_IPS", default='["127.0.0.1"]'))
+)
+
+# --- Databases ---
+DATABASE_SYSTEM: Final = DatabaseSystem(
+    get_envvar("DATABASE_SYSTEM", default=DatabaseSystem.SQLITE)
+)
+SQLITE_DB_PATH: Final = get_envvar("SQLITE_DB_PATH", default="db.sqlite3")
+POSTGRES_HOST: Final = get_envvar("POSTGRES_HOST", default="localhost")
+POSTGRES_DB_NAME: Final = get_envvar("POSTGRES_DB_NAME", default="make_web")
+POSTGRES_DB_USER: Final = get_envvar("POSTGRES_DB_USER", default="devuser")
+POSTGRES_DB_PASSWORD: Final = get_envvar("POSTGRES_DB_PASSWORD", default="devpassword")
+
+# --- `django-hosts` ---
+PARENT_HOST: Final = get_envvar("PARENT_HOST")
+
+# --- Cookies ---
+COOKIE_DOMAIN: Final = get_envvar("COOKIE_DOMAIN")
+COOKIE_SECURE: Final = get_bool_envvar("COOKIE_SECURE")
+
+# --- Static and media files ---
+STATIC_AND_MEDIA_FILES__PARENT_DIR: Final = get_envvar(
+    "STATIC_AND_MEDIA_FILES__PARENT_DIR"
+)
+# The max size in prod is 50 MiB (through Nginx)
+MEDIA_FILE_MAX_SIZE__MB: Final = int(get_envvar("MEDIA_FILE_MAX_SIZE__MB", default="25"))
+
+# --- `channels` ---
+REDIS_HOST: Final = get_envvar("REDIS_HOST", default="localhost")
+REDIS_PORT: Final = int(get_envvar("REDIS_PORT", default="6379"))
+
+# --- Emailing ---
+EMAIL_HOST: Final = get_envvar("EMAIL_HOST")
+EMAIL_HOST_USER: Final = get_envvar("EMAIL_HOST_USER")
+EMAIL_PORT: Final = int(get_envvar("EMAIL_PORT"))
+EMAIL_USE_TLS: Final = get_bool_envvar("EMAIL_USE_TLS")
+DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL: Final = get_envvar("DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL")
+SERVER_EMAIL: Final = get_envvar("SERVER_EMAIL")
+EMAIL_SUBJECT_PREFIX: Final = get_envvar("EMAIL_SUBJECT_PREFIX")
+ADMINS: Final = [
+    (full_name, email) for full_name, email in json.loads(get_envvar("ADMINS"))
+]
+
+# --- Dataporten/Feide ---
+USE_DATAPORTEN_AUTH: Final = get_bool_envvar("USE_DATAPORTEN_AUTH")
+SOCIAL_AUTH_DATAPORTEN_KEY: Final = get_envvar("SOCIAL_AUTH_DATAPORTEN_KEY")
+SOCIAL_AUTH_DATAPORTEN_SECRET: Final = get_envvar("SOCIAL_AUTH_DATAPORTEN_SECRET")
+
+# --- Checkin ---
+CHECKIN_KEY: Final = get_envvar("CHECKIN_KEY")

manage.py

@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@
 
 def main():
     """Run administrative tasks."""
+    # IMPORTANT: Ensure this import is kept here, as it loads the envvars
+    import env  # noqa: F401
+
     os.environ.setdefault('DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE', 'web.settings')
     try:
         from django.core.management import execute_from_command_line

pyproject.toml

@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ dependencies = [
   "channels[daphne]==4.1.0",
   "channels-redis==4.2.0",
 
+  # Environment variables
+  "python-dotenv==1.1.1",
+
   # Misc. packages
   "bleach[css]==6.1.0",
   "Pillow==11.3.0",

src/util/url_utils.py

@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def logout_urls():
     from dataporten import views as dataporten_views  # Avoids circular importing
 
     # Both of these views log the user out, then redirects to the value of the `LOGOUT_REDIRECT_URL` setting
-    if settings.USES_DATAPORTEN_AUTH:
+    if settings.USE_DATAPORTEN_AUTH:
         logout_view = dataporten_views.Logout.as_view()
     else:
         logout_view = auth_views.LogoutView.as_view()