Configuration

This page explains environment configuration, the .env file, required variables, and the rationale behind keeping secrets stable.

How configuration is loaded

• python-dotenv loads variables from .env at startup (see load_dotenv() in oc_lettings_site/settings.py)

• System environment variables take precedence over the .env file

Required environment variables

• ENV_MODE - Values: dev (default), prod - Controls: DEBUG flag and ALLOWED_HOSTS

• DJANGO_SECRET_KEY - Required in production - Used to sign sessions, CSRF tokens, and other cryptographic features - Keep it strong and stable across deployments to avoid invalidating sessions and tokens

• SENTRY_DSN (optional) - Enables Sentry error reporting

Using a .env file

• Create a .env at the project root based on .env.example

• Do not commit your .env file—store secrets securely

Example .env:

ENV_MODE=dev
DJANGO_SECRET_KEY=your_super_strong_secret_key
SENTRY_DSN=

Generating secrets

• See Orange County Lettings - Clinkey for web UI and CLI

• Example:

  pip install clinkey-cli
  DJANGO_SECRET_KEY=$(clinkey -t super_strong -l 64 -s - --lower)
  

Secret key stability and data access

• DJANGO_SECRET_KEY does not control direct database access

• Changing it invalidates signed data (sessions, password reset tokens, some caches)

• For production, plan rotations to minimize user impact (e.g., scheduled maintenance)

Deployment notes

• On Docker: set variables via -e or a compose file

• On Render: set variables in the service dashboard

• In CI: store secrets in GitHub Actions secrets (never in code)