Configuration Guide¶

This guide covers the configuration options available in Aura Art.

Settings Structure¶

Aura Art uses Django’s settings system with environment-specific configurations:

base.py: Base settings shared across all environments
dev.py: Development-specific settings
production.py: Production-specific settings
tests.py: Test-specific settings

Environment Configuration¶

Development Environment¶

The development environment (dev.py) includes:

Debug mode enabled
SQLite database by default
Detailed error pages
Automatic reloading
Development-specific middleware

Production Environment¶

The production environment (production.py) includes:

Debug mode disabled
Security middleware enabled
Static file serving configuration
Database connection pooling
Logging configuration

Database Settings¶

Database Configuration¶

Configure your database in the environment-specific settings file:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
        'NAME': 'aura-app',
        'USER': 'your_username',
        'PASSWORD': 'your_password',
        'HOST': 'localhost',
        'PORT': '5432',
    }
}

Media and Static Files¶

Static Files¶

Static files are served from the static/ directory and include:

CSS stylesheets
JavaScript files
Images and icons
Font files

Media Files¶

Media files (user uploads) are stored in the media/ directory and include:

Artwork images
Artist photos
Document uploads

Security Settings¶

Security Configuration¶

Important security settings for production:

SECRET_KEY: Must be unique and kept secret

SECRET_KEY can be generated using Clinkey-Cli:

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

DEBUG: Must be False in production
ALLOWED_HOSTS: Must include your domain
SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT: Enable HTTPS redirects
SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE: Secure session cookies
CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE: Secure CSRF cookies

Email Configuration¶

SMTP Settings¶

Configure email settings for notifications and password resets:

EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend'
EMAIL_HOST = 'smtp.gmail.com'
EMAIL_PORT = 587
EMAIL_USE_TLS = True
EMAIL_HOST_USER = 'your_email@gmail.com'
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = 'your_app_password'

Logging Configuration¶

Logging Setup¶

Configure logging for different environments:

LOGGING = {
    'version': 1,
    'disable_existing_loggers': False,
    'handlers': {
        'file': {
            'level': 'INFO',
            'class': 'logging.FileHandler',
            'filename': 'aura-app.log',
        },
    },
    'loggers': {
        'django': {
            'handlers': ['file'],
            'level': 'INFO',
            'propagate': True,
        },
    },
}

Custom Settings¶

Application-Specific Settings¶

Aura Art includes several custom settings:

ARTWORK_IMAGE_MAX_SIZE: Maximum size for artwork images
ARTWORK_IMAGE_FORMATS: Allowed image formats
EXPORT_FORMATS: Available export formats
PAGINATION_SIZE: Number of items per page

Performance Optimization¶

Caching Configuration¶

Configure caching for better performance:

CACHES = {
    'default': {
        'BACKEND': 'django.core.cache.backends.redis.RedisCache',
        'LOCATION': 'redis://127.0.0.1:6379/1',
    }
}

Database Optimization¶

For production deployments:

Use connection pooling
Configure database indexes
Enable query optimization
Use read replicas for heavy read operations