How to configure my django settings.py for production using postgresql

Question

I'm already deploying my django app and I'm using postgresql as my server and I used heroku for hosting my app. However, I don't know what I should place in my host instead of using localhost.

note: this works perfectly if I run it locally.

DATABASES = {
 'default': {
   'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
   'NAME': 'trilz',
   'USER': 'postgres',
   'PASSWORD': 'franz123',
   'HOST': 'localhost',
   'PORT': '5432',
  }
}

Where are you hosting it? You need to add additional information about what you've done and what you are trying to do - that makes it easier to provide a valuable answer to you :) — Casper Bang, Jun 21 '22 at 04:21

Casper Bang · Answer 1 · 2022-06-21T04:51:38.263

You should probably use environment variables (the prior link actually uses databases as an example. Using hardcoded values leaves you vulnerable to a bunch of different risks. The Django guide also presents connection files.

After you started to use that, then you need to figure out where you are running your Postgres database. localhost means "my machine" (i.e the same machine as running the Django app.). If you are using some database-as-a-service, they'll expose all the environmental variables you need. If you are using something like Heroku, they will expose environment variables when running the service, that you'll probably use. If you are using a Kubernetes/Docker setup you yourself control, then you'll probably be in control of where the database is running and needs to use the path to that.

For heroku

I've used https://pypi.org/project/dj-database-url/ for a hobby project (which is no longer maintained, but does work, the last time I used it).

My config then looked like this:

DATABASES = {"default": {"ENGINE": "django.db.backends.sqlite3", "NAME": "mydatabase"}}

if "DATABASE_URL" in os.environ:
    logger.info("Adding $DATABASE_URL to default DATABASE Django setting.")
    DATABASES["default"] = dj_database_url.config(conn_max_age=600)
    DATABASES["default"]["init_command"] = "SET sql_mode='STRICT_TRANS_TABLES'"

That gives you a working Sqlite3 version if no URL is added. You can use something else if you'd like. Heroku exposes an environment variable called DATABASE_URL that links to the database you configured in Heroku, which you catch in if "DATABASE_URL" in os.environ:, and then subsequently use. Did this provide a sufficient answer?

I'm hosting it in heroku. – Franz Zapanta Jun 21 '22 at 04:30 — Franz Zapanta, Jun 21 '22 at 04:30
I've edited it and provided an example :) – Casper Bang Jun 21 '22 at 04:51 — Casper Bang, Jun 21 '22 at 04:51

How to configure my django settings.py for production using postgresql

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