env.md

Environment variables / Secrets

How to manage secrets in a python app ?

• 1. .env

  • gitignore

  • https://pypi.org/project/python-dotenv/

  • .env.sample

from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv()

• 2. python flat config file

# config.py
TOKEN_API = "blablabla"

# main.py
from config import TOKEN_API
<use TOKEN_API>

• 2bis. python dict config file

# config.py
CONFIG = {
    "TOKEN_API" : "blablabla"
}

# main.py
from config import CONFIG
<use CONFIG['TOKEN_API']>

• 3. config file (yaml, json, toml, ini)

  • https://blog.nicolas.brondin-bernard.com/principaux-formats-fichiers-donnees-configuration-json-yaml-toml-xml-ini-csv/

  • https://www.barenakedcoder.com/blog/2020/03/config-files-ini-xml-json-yaml-toml/

  • https://zestedesavoir.com/billets/2613/json-yaml-toml-xml-ou-comment-se-compliquer-la-vie/

• 4. secret manager server (eg. Vault)

  • https://modularsystems.io/blog/securing-secrets-python-vault/

• config depending of the environement [production, development, testing]

take a look how flask is doing it

- https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/2.0.x/config/#configuring-from-data-files
- https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/2.0.x/config/#configuring-from-python-files