Forem: Matúš Kočik

My Preconfigured Django Template: Part 4 - Python-Decouple

Matúš Kočik — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 18:21:04 +0000

What is Python-Decouple?

Python-Decouple is a simple yet powerful tool that helps manage Django configuration settings securely. Instead of hardcoding secrets like SECRET_KEY or database credentials in settings.py, it allows you to store them in environment variables or a .env file, keeping your codebase clean and safe.

Why Use Python-Decouple?

Better security – Keeps sensitive data out of your code.
Easy environment switching – Quickly adapt configurations for development, staging, and production.
Less clutter in settings.py – Keeps settings organized and modular.
Automatic type conversion – Easily manage strings, integers, and lists.
Seamless integration – Works with Django, CI/CD pipelines, and containerized deployments.

Quick Commands

# Install Python-Decouple

uv add python-decouple

# Create a .env file and store secrets

SECRET_KEY=mysecretkey
DEBUG=True
DATABASE_NAME=mydatabase
DATABASE_USER=myuser
DATABASE_PASSWORD=mypassword

# Use Python-Decouple in settings.py

from decouple import config

SECRET_KEY = config("SECRET_KEY")
DEBUG = config("DEBUG", default=False, cast=bool)
DATABASES = {
    "default": {
        "ENGINE": "django.db.backends.postgresql",
        "NAME": config("DATABASE_NAME"),
        "USER": config("DATABASE_USER"),
        "PASSWORD": config("DATABASE_PASSWORD"),
        "HOST": "localhost",
        "PORT": 5432,
    }
}

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My Preconfigured Django Template: Part 3 - Django Extensions

Matúš Kočik — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:31:39 +0000

Django Extensions is a powerful package that provides extra management commands to improve development efficiency. It adds features that make debugging, scripting, and database management much easier.

Why Use Django Extensions?

Generate a secret key instantly
Enhanced Django shell (shell_plus) for faster model imports
Visualize models with graph_models
Run custom scripts easily with runscript

Quick Commands

# Install Django Extensions
uv add django-extensions

# Generate a secret key
uv run python manage.py generate_secret_key

# Open improved shell
uv run python manage.py shell_plus

# Create a model graph
uv run python manage.py graph_models -a -o models.png

Django Extensions saves time and simplifies development, making it a great addition to any Django project.

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My Preconfigured Django Template: Part 2 - UV Astral

Matúš Kočik — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:29:01 +0000

Dependency management in Python can sometimes be a hassle, especially when working across different environments. UV Astral simplifies this by providing a faster and more reliable way to handle dependencies and Python versions.

What Makes UV Astral Special?

10-100x faster than pip 🚀
Manages Python versions easily
Locks dependencies for consistency
Creates virtual environments automatically
Replaces multiple tools like pip, virtualenv, and poetry

Practical UV Astral Commands

# Install dependencies
uv sync

# Run the Django server
uv run python manage.py runserver

# Install a new package
uv add django

# Export dependencies
uv export --output-file requirements.txt

Using UV Astral in my Django template has made my projects faster and easier to manage. If you want to learn more, check out the full article.

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My Preconfigured Django Template: Part 1 - Introduction

Matúš Kočik — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:25:04 +0000

Setting up a new Django project often involves repetitive steps: installing dependencies, configuring settings, and ensuring the right tools are in place. To simplify this, I created my own Django Template - a lightweight starting point for my projects.

Why Did I Create This Template?

Every time I started a project, I had to set up environments, install tools, and configure everything manually. Instead of doing it from scratch every time, I built a preconfigured template that includes:

Pre-commit hooks to ensure clean code.
Black & Ruff for formatting and linting.
UV Astral for better dependency management.
Docker support for database consistency.
GitHub Actions for automated workflows.

This template saves time, keeps my projects organized, and ensures a consistent setup.

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