How can I use django-environ for advanced configuration?

How can I use django-environ for advanced configuration?

You can use django-environ to manage environment variables in your Django project. It allows you to define settings in a .env file and access them in your settings.py.

Can you show me an example of a .env file?

Sure! A simple .env file might look like this:

DEBUG=True
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/mydatabase
SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key

You can then access these variables in your Django settings using env('DEBUG'), env('DATABASE_URL'), etc.

What if I want to set default values for some variables?

You can set default values by using the second argument in the env() method. For example:

DEBUG = env('DEBUG', default=False)

Is it safe to store sensitive information in .env files?

Yes, but make sure to add your .env file to .gitignore to prevent it from being pushed to version control. Also, consider using a secrets management tool for production.