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Overview

Relaciona is built with Django 4.2 and uses a configuration system based on environment variables for flexibility across different deployment environments. All configuration is centralized in relaciona/settings.py.

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Core Settings

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SECRET_KEY Generation

The SECRET_KEY is critical for Django’s cryptographic signing. It’s used for session management, password hashing, and CSRF protection. 
SECRET_KEY = os.getenv('SECRET_KEY', 'django-insecure-default-key')
Never use the default key in production! Always set a unique, randomly generated SECRET_KEY via environment variable.

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DEBUG Mode

DEBUG mode controls whether detailed error pages are shown and affects performance optimizations.
settings.py
DEBUG = os.getenv('DEBUG', 'False') == 'True'
1

Development

Set DEBUG=True to enable detailed error pages and automatic reloading.
2

Production

Set DEBUG=False to disable debug features and improve security. This is the default.
Running with DEBUG=True in production is a security risk. It exposes sensitive configuration and system information.

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Host Configuration

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ALLOWED_HOSTS

Defines which host/domain names this Django site can serve. This is a security measure to prevent HTTP Host header attacks.
settings.py
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*', '.elasticbeanstalk.com', '51.45.13.200', 'localhost', '127.0.0.1']

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CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS

Specifies trusted origins for unsafe requests (POST, PUT, DELETE) when using HTTPS.
settings.py
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = [
    'https://*.vercel.app',
    'https://conocer-alumnos.vercel.app',
    'https://*.elasticbeanstalk.com',
    'http://51.45.13.200',
    'http://51.45.13.200:8000',
]
Add your production domains to this list to allow form submissions from those origins.

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Static Files with WhiteNoise

Relaciona uses WhiteNoise to serve static files efficiently in production without requiring a separate web server.

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Configuration

settings.py
MIDDLEWARE = [
    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
    'whitenoise.middleware.WhiteNoiseMiddleware',  # Must be after SecurityMiddleware
    # ... other middleware
]

STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'staticfiles')
STATICFILES_STORAGE = 'whitenoise.storage.CompressedManifestStaticFilesStorage'

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Collecting Static Files

Before deployment, collect all static files into STATIC_ROOT: 
python manage.py collectstatic --no-input
WhiteNoise automatically compresses and serves these files with optimal caching headers.

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Media Files with Cloudinary

User-uploaded files (profile pictures, quiz images, etc.) are stored on Cloudinary instead of the local filesystem.

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Configuration

settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # ...
    'cloudinary',
    'cloudinary_storage',
]

CLOUDINARY_STORAGE = {
    'CLOUD_NAME': os.getenv('CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME'),
    'API_KEY': os.getenv('CLOUDINARY_API_KEY'),
    'API_SECRET': os.getenv('CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET'),
}

DEFAULT_FILE_STORAGE = 'cloudinary_storage.storage.MediaCloudinaryStorage'
1

Create Cloudinary Account

Sign up at cloudinary.com for a free account.
2

Get Credentials

Find your Cloud Name, API Key, and API Secret in the Cloudinary dashboard.
3

Set Environment Variables

Configure the three required environment variables (see Environment Variables).

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Security Settings

Relaciona includes SSL/TLS proxy support for deployment behind reverse proxies:
settings.py
SECURE_PROXY_SSL_HEADER = ('HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO', 'https')
SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = False
SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = False
CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = False
For production deployments with proper SSL certificates, consider enabling:
SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = True  # Redirect all HTTP to HTTPS
SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = True  # Send session cookie only over HTTPS
CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = True  # Send CSRF cookie only over HTTPS
SECURE_HSTS_SECONDS = 31536000  # Enable HTTP Strict Transport Security
SECURE_HSTS_INCLUDE_SUBDOMAINS = True
SECURE_HSTS_PRELOAD = True

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Localization

Relaciona is configured for Spanish (Spain):
settings.py
LANGUAGE_CODE = 'es-es'
TIME_ZONE = 'Europe/Madrid'
USE_I18N = True
USE_TZ = True

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Database Configuration

See Database Setup for detailed PostgreSQL configuration.

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Next Steps

Environment Variables

Complete list of all environment variables

Database Setup

PostgreSQL installation and configuration

Cloud Deployment

Deploy to AWS, Vercel, or Render

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