Deployment Overview of Django on Server¶

Prerequisites and Basic Requirements¶

The deployment requires a Linux server running either Debian or Ubuntu. The following system-level prerequisites must be met before installation:

• Operating System: Debian or Ubuntu

• Privileges: Root access or sudo privileges are required for package installation and service management

• Domain: The server must be configured to resolve the hostkey.in domain

• Ports:

• Port 8000 for the internal Django application

• Port 443 for external HTTPS access via the proxy

FQDN of the Final Panel¶

The application is accessible via the following Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) format:

django<Server ID>.hostkey.in:443

The external path for the application is /django_client.

File and Directory Structure¶

The application files, configuration, and data are organized in the following locations:

• Project Root: /root/django_client/project

• Virtual Environment: /root/django_client/venv (Debian only)

• Static Files: /root/django_client/project/static

• Systemd Service File: /etc/systemd/system/django.service

• Nginx Configuration Directory: /data/nginx/user_conf.d

• Nginx Compose File: /root/nginx/compose.yml

• Nginx Environment File: /data/nginx/nginx-certbot.env

• SSL Certificates: Stored in the nginx_secrets volume mounted at /etc/letsencrypt

Application Installation Process¶

The Django application is installed using the following steps:

1. Package Installation:

   • Required packages are installed via apt: python3, python3-pip, libpq-dev, python3-venv (Debian), or python3-pexpect (Ubuntu).

2. Virtual Environment Setup (Debian):

   • A Python virtual environment is created at /root/django_client/venv.

   • Django is installed within this environment using pip.

3. Project Initialization:

   • The Django project named django_client is created in /root/django_client/project.

   • The settings.py file is configured with:

     • BASE_DIR and STATIC_ROOT paths.

     • ALLOWED_HOSTS set to ['*'].

     • CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS set to ['https://django<Server ID>.hostkey.in'].

4. Database and Static Files:

   • Database migrations are applied using manage.py migrate.

   • Static files are collected using manage.py collectstatic.

5. Superuser Creation:

   • A default superuser is created with the username root, email [email protected], and a password defined by the system configuration.

Docker Containers and Their Deployment¶

A Docker container is used to run the Nginx reverse proxy and manage SSL certificates via Certbot.

• Image: jonasal/nginx-certbot:latest

• Service Name: nginx

• Restart Policy: unless-stopped

• Network Mode: host

• Volumes:

  • nginx_secrets (external) mounted at /etc/letsencrypt

  • /data/nginx/user_conf.d mounted at /etc/nginx/user_conf.d

• Environment:

  • CERTBOT_EMAIL: [email protected]

  • Environment variables are loaded from /data/nginx/nginx-certbot.env

The container is managed using the docker compose file located at /root/nginx/compose.yml.

Proxy Servers¶

Nginx acts as the reverse proxy for the Django application, handling SSL termination and routing.

• Configuration Location: /data/nginx/user_conf.d/django<Server ID>.hostkey.in.conf

• Routing:

  • The Nginx configuration routes requests to the Django application running on port 8000.

  • The location block is configured to handle the root path / for the application context.

• SSL/TLS:

  • Managed automatically by the nginx-certbot container.

  • Certificates are stored in the nginx_secrets volume.

Access Rights and Security¶

• System User: The Django service runs as the root user.

• Firewall: Ensure ports 8000 (internal) and 443 (external) are open.

• CSRF Protection: The CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS setting in settings.py restricts trusted origins to the specific hostkey.in domain.

• Allowed Hosts: The ALLOWED_HOSTS setting is configured to accept requests from any host (['*']).

Permission Settings¶

• Project Directory: /root/django_client/project is owned by root.

• Nginx Directory: /root/nginx is owned by root with permissions 0644.

• Compose File: /root/nginx/compose.yml is owned by root with permissions 0644.

• Service File: /etc/systemd/system/django.service is owned by root.

Location of Configuration Files and Data¶

Available Ports for Connection¶

Starting, Stopping, and Updating¶

The Django application is managed as a systemd service. Use the following commands to control the service:

• Start the service:

  systemctl start django.service
  

• Stop the service:

  systemctl stop django.service
  

• Restart the service:

  systemctl restart django.service
  

• Enable service on boot:

  systemctl enable django.service
  

To update the Nginx proxy configuration or restart the container:

cd /root/nginx
docker compose up -d