Setting your environment variables

Below is an example of what your .env file might look like:

DB_HOST=postgres
DB_NAME=shipwithdjango
DB_PASSWORD=Abc123!!
DB_USER=postgres
DB_PORT=5432

DEBUG=True

EMAIL_HOST=smtp.office365.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_HOST_USER=[e-mail]
EMAIL_HOST_USER_NAME="Example Name"
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=examplepassword
EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
SENDGRID_API_KEY=your_sendgrid_api_key_here

REDIS_HOST=redis

SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key_here

STRIPE_LIVE_MODE=False
STRIPE_PUBLIC_API_KEY=your_stripe_public_key_here
STRIPE_SECRET_API_KEY=your_stripe_secret_key_here
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=your_stripe_webhook_secret_here
STRIPE_TEST_PUBLIC_API_KEY=your_stripe_test_public_key_here
STRIPE_TEST_SECRET_API_KEY=your_stripe_test_secret_key_here
STRIPE_TEST_WEBHOOK_SECRET=your_stripe_test_webhook_secret_here

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here

It is not necessary to modify all these variables at once. You can update them as needed based on the specific requirements of your application. Below is a breakdown of the key sections and what each set of environment variables controls.

Database

These variables define the connection details for your application's database:

• DB_HOST: The hostname of your database server. If using Docker, this should be set to postgres, matching the service name in the Docker Compose file.

• DB_NAME: The name of the database your application will use.

• DB_USER: The username for accessing the database.

• DB_PASSWORD: The password for the database user.

• DB_PORT: The port number on which your database server is listening (default is 5432 for PostgreSQL).

Debug

The DEBUG variable controls the debugging mode of your application:

• DEBUG: Set this to True during development to enable detailed error pages and logs. Important: Set this to False before deploying your application to production to prevent exposure of sensitive information.

Email

These variables configure your application's email delivery settings:

• EMAIL_HOST: The SMTP server your application will use to send emails.

• EMAIL_PORT: The port on which the SMTP server is running.

• EMAIL_HOST_USER: The username for the SMTP server.

• EMAIL_HOST_USER_NAME: The name that will appear in the "From" field of outgoing emails.

• EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD: The password for the SMTP server.

• EMAIL_USE_TLS: Whether to use TLS for secure email transmission (True or False).

• SENDGRID_API_KEY: If using SendGrid for email, set your API key here.

If using SMTP, ensure that the EMAIL_HOST, EMAIL_PORT, EMAIL_HOST_USER, EMAIL_HOST_USER_NAME, and EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD are configured.

For SendGrid, use EMAIL_HOST_USER, EMAIL_HOST_USER_NAME, and SENDGRID_API_KEY.

Redis

The REDIS_HOST variable specifies the address of your Redis instance:

• REDIS_HOST: If using Docker, set this to redis, which matches the service name in the Docker Compose file.

Secret Key

The SECRET_KEY is a critical component for the security of your Django application:

• SECRET_KEY: This should be a unique, secret key used for cryptographic signing. You can generate a strong secret key here.

Stripe

To enable payment processing and subscription management, configure the following Stripe-related environment variables:

• STRIPE_LIVE_MODE: Set to True to enable live mode, or False for testing.

• STRIPE_PUBLIC_API_KEY: Your public Stripe API key for live mode.

• STRIPE_SECRET_API_KEY: Your secret Stripe API key for live mode.

• STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET: The webhook secret for Stripe in live mode.

• STRIPE_TEST_PUBLIC_API_KEY: Your public Stripe API key for test mode.

• STRIPE_TEST_SECRET_API_KEY: Your secret Stripe API key for test mode.

• STRIPE_TEST_WEBHOOK_SECRET: The webhook secret for Stripe in test mode.

Ensure these variables are correctly set to integrate Stripe into your application effectively.

OpenAI

To enable OpenAI capabilities, set the OPENAI_API_KEY to your key.

By configuring these environment variables, you can fine-tune how ShipWithDjango operates, ensuring it meets your project's specific needs.