Activity 37: Python Flask .env and gitignore

To complete this activity on using .env and .gitignore in a Python Flask project, set up a secure environment configuration and then push the project to GitHub:

Set Up a New Flask Project

Create a new project folder:

  mkdir salibay_env_gitignore
  cd salibay_env_gitignore

Initialize a Flask project: Create a virtual environment and install Flask.
```
  python -m venv venv
  pip install Flask
```

Create the main app file: Create a file named app.py and add the following code:

  from flask import Flask
  import os

  app = Flask(__name__)
  app.config['SECRET_KEY'] = os.getenv('SECRET_KEY', 'defaultsecret')

  @app.route('/')
  def home():
      return 'Hello, Flask with .env!'

  if __name__ == '__main__':
      app.run(debug=True)

Set Up the `.env` File

Install Python Dotenv:
```
  pip install python-dotenv
```
Create a .env file in the project directory and add the following line:
```
  SECRET_KEY="secret_key"
```
Load the .env file in app.py by adding the following at the top of app.py:
```
  from dotenv import load_dotenv
  load_dotenv()
```

Create a `.gitignore` File

In the root of your project, create a .gitignore file and add the following lines to ignore sensitive files and the virtual environment:
```
  .env
  venv/
  __pycache__/
  *.pyc
  *.pyo
```

Initialize Git and Commit

Initialize a Git repository:
```
  git init
```

Add and commit files:

  git add .
  git commit -m "Initial commit with .env and .gitignore"

Create a GitHub Repository and Push

Create a new repository on GitHub named surname_env_gitignore.

Add the remote origin and push:

  git remote add origin https://github.com/MonetForProgrammingPurposes/nicolas_env_gitignore.git
  git branch -M main
  git push -u origin main