Setup

I am using a debian 12 server which will expose my application via cloudflare tunnels. All of the static files are being served via nginx and the Django project is being ran by gunicorn.

In this guide I will show you how I set this up.

Preparing the Django project

The first thing you will have to do is open the settings.py and change the following

Debug = False
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['yourdomain.tld']
CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = True
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = [
    'yourdomain.tld',
]

You should also change the SECRET_KEY to a long random string, that you should never share with anyone.

After that create a new file called .gitignore and paste the following:

db.sqlite3
*.pyc

This will make sure that the database is not uploaded to our server and that no pyc files are either.

Now you can upload your project to a new github repository (or gitea repository). If you don’t want everyone to have access to your source code make sure to set the repository as private.

If you want to make sure that your source code stays private I recommend you setup a selfhosted gitea instance, read Selfhost your own gitea instance - selfhosted, lightweight github alternative, to learn how to do that.

git init
git branch -M main
git add .
git commit -m "initial commit"
git remote add origin https://...
git push -u origin main

Now that you we have done that you should login to your server

Server setup

Before configuring anything make sure that you don’t allow any ssh logins with a password. Follow Securing ssh with Key-Based authentication to secure your server from those kinds of attacks.

Login to your server

ssh user@server.ip

Make sure that your packages are up to data

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Now install python, pip, git and nginx

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip git nginx

Now clone your project into your home directory.

git clone https://...
cd my-project

Once you’re in install the following:

pip install django django-crispy-forms 

Now try to run the project:

python3 manage.py runserver

if you get an error that a package is missing install it and re run.

Configuring gunicorn

Now we will setup gunicorn

First install it

pip install gunicorn

Now create a new file called gunicorn.service with your favorite text editor:

sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/gunicorn.service

And paste the following:

[Unit]
Description=gunicorn daemon
After=network.target

[Service]
User=YOURUSER
Group=www-data
WorkingDirectory=/home/YOURUSER/PROJECT
ExecStart=/path/to/gunicorn --access-logfile - --workers 3 --bind 127.0.0.1:8000 PROJECTNAME.wsgi:application

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Change YOURUSER to your user.

To find the path to gunicorn run:

which gunicorn

And your project name is the name of the folder inside of your project that contains the settings.py file.

Now run the following commands to start and enable gunicorn (start on boot)

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start gunicorn.service
sudo systemctl enable gunicorn.service

Now if you head to 127.0.0.1:8000 you should see your project running.

But were not finished yet

Setting up nginx

Now we need to serve our static content via nginx.

First create a new file nginx configuration file with your favorite text editor:

sudo vim /etc/nginx/sites-available/PROJECT

Change PROJECT to whatever you want

Now paste the following content:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name YOURDOMAIN;

    location /static/ {
	alias /var/www/staticfiles/;
    }

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Just change YOURDOMAIN to the domain that this will be hosted on.

Create a symbolic link to enable your website:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/PROJECT /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Start and enable nginx:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Setup static files

The first thing you will have to do is cd into your (django) project

cd project

Now run the following command:

python3 manage.py collectstatic

This will create a new folder called staticfiles

Now to set up the static files we have two options:

1. Change the user in /etc/nginx/nginx.conf to your user (less secure)
2. Copy over the staticfiles to /var/www/ (more secure)

I will be doing the 2nd option:

First create a new file called staticfiles in /var/www

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/staticfiles

Now copy over all of the staticfiles from your project there:

sudo cp staticfiles/* /var/www/staticfiles

Now cd into /var/www

cd /var/www

Change the ownership of all the files

sudo chown www-data:www-data staticfiles
sudo chown www-data:www-data staticfiles/*

Restart the nginx service:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Now if you head to:

127.0.0.1

You should see your website running with all of the static files being served!

Exposing via cloudflare tunnels

Now to make your website publicly accessible.

To do this you will need a cloudflare account and a domain pointed to cloudflare.

First head to the Zero Trust Dashboard

Under Networks click on Tunnels and then Create a tunnel

Once created you should Install and run a connector, follow the instructions on the page for your specific setup.

After the connector is running you should click on the Public Hostname tab and Add a public hostname.

Now you should see something like this:

Fill in the info as I have. The service type should be HTTP and the url should be 127.0.0.1:80 or localhost:80

Now if you head to the domain that you specified you should see your app up and running.

Congratulations!

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In this course/article I will be talking about why someone should use Python. Later on, I will be tackling the basics of Python. But let’s start by explaining what coding is.

What is coding?

Coding means writing instructions for computers and a finished set of instructions is known as a program. Computer programs control everything from smartphones to space rockets.

What is Python?

Python is a text-based computer language which means it’s made up of words and symbols (such as * and = ). Its language elements and object-oriented approach are meant to assist programmers in writing clear, logical code for both small and large-scale projects.

Why Python?

Python is one of the most popular computer languages and it’s very concise — that is, you don’t need to type much in order to create programs that do a lot.

Advantages of python

1. Simple to read, learn, and write

Python is a high-level programming language with a syntax that is similar to English. This makes the code easier to read and comprehend.

Python is really simple to pick up and understand, which is why many people suggest it to newcomers. When compared to other prominent languages like C/C++ and Java, you require fewer lines of code to accomplish the same purpose.

2. Improved Productivity

Python is an extremely useful programming language. Python’s simplicity allows developers to concentrate on solving the problem.

They don’t need to spend a lot of time learning the programming language’s syntax or behaviour. You write less code and accomplish more.

3. Free and Open-Source

Python comes under the OSI-approved open-source license. As a result, it is both free to use and distribute. You can get the source code, change it, and even share your own Python version.

4. Portability

In many languages like C/C++, you need to change your code to run the program on different platforms. With Python, however, this is not the case. You only have to write it once and it may be used wherever.

Downloading Python

On Linux You probably already know how to install it but I’m gonna show it anyways.

Open your terminal and type python or python3; if it does not work then run: (depending on your distro) sudo apt install python3

Windows 10 1 . First check if you already have Python installed. Go to the ‘Start’ menu and click on the ‘All programs’. If you see the word “Python” it means that you already have it installed. If you don’t already have it installed go to https://python.org, download the correct version for your computer and then install it.

2. Python comes in different versions. This course uses version 3 and upwards. I recommend always installing the latest version.

What is an IDE?

IDE stands for the integrated development environment (IDE) and is software for building applications that combine common developer tools into a single Graphical User Interface (GUI).

The IDE that we will be using in this series is called VS Code.

Downloading VS Code

Go to https://code.visualstudio.com/ and download the version that you want. Vs Code is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Follow the instructions on the website for installation.

Starting in Python

It’s traditional in the programming world to make the computer say ‘Hello World’ with your very first piece of code. In Python, this is very simple.

1. Open Vs Code and click on File > New File and name your file helloworld.py. The .py tells the computer that this is a Python program.
2. In your project, in VS Code type : print("Hello World!")
3. Save your project and click on the run button at the top of your screen
4. If you have done everything correctly you should see a Hello World message in your terminal.

If it didn’t work you should get a red error message something like this:

SyntaxError: invalid syntax

If that happens make sure that you have copied it exactly like above.

Playing With numbers in Python

Python makes it easy to do maths. You just type in a question and get the answer

Adding Up

Open an empty project and type:

print(2+2)

You should see the answer: 4

Subtracting(and more) If you want to subtract, use the ‘-’ symbol like this:

print(2 - 2)

To multiply use the ‘*’ symbol:

print(2 * 2)

To divide, use the ‘/’ symbol

print(2 / 2)

Variables

A variable is like a labelled box that stores information. You can change this information but the label stays the same.

Creating a variable:

To tell the computer what you want your variable to be, you use the = sign. This is called assigning a value to a variable. It’s very simple, here’s an example using fish.

1. Open a new VS Code project and type: fish = 5

Imagine a cat gets hungry and eats two fish. To create another variable for the amount eaten, write the following:

fishEaten = 2

Press enter and then type:

print(fish - fishEaten)

Save and run your code and you should get the answer: 3

Input in Python

You can use the input() function to ask for information from the user.

1. Open a new VS Code project and type:

name = input("What is your name? ")

2. Run the program and you should get the following message:

What is your name? 3. Now let’s try printing your name.

Add the following to your program:

print(name)

You have successfully created an input field!

This can be very useful in creating decision games.

Making Decisions

To write a program that allows you to make decisions the computer needs to react differently to different answers. For this, you need conditions to compare pieces of information, and conditionals to create different paths through the program.

What are Conditions?

A condition is a bit of code that compares two pieces of information. Conditions use operators to make these comparisons. For example, the operator == checks if two pieces of information are the same.

1. Open a new Vs Code project and type:

age = 10
if age == 12:
 print("True")
else:
 print("False")

2. Save and run and you should get False

That is because ‘age’ is set to 10 and not 12

What are conditionals

To use a condition in your code you need a command called a condition. Conditionals use conditions. Conditions show if something is True or False.

IF

One important condition is known as an if statement which tests whether a condition is true. If it is, the computer will follow the instructions after the if statement. If not, the computer will just skip it. In Python, if is a keyword. Dont use it as a variable name because the computer will think that it’s an if statement and get confused.

Implementing the if condition

1. Create a new VS Code project and type the following:

user_reply = ("Do you like python? (Type yes or no) ")

2. Then we will implement the if condition by typing the following:

if user_reply == "yes"
   print("Python likes you to ! ")

ELIF

elif is short for else if. If the conditions of the if code isn’t met it “sweeps up” whatever is left.

3. Now type the following:

elif user_reply == "maybe":
  print("Make up your mind!")

ELSE

When conditions for the if and elif code arent met, else goes into action and “sweeps up” whatever is left.

Let’s implement that: 4. Now type the following:

else:
  print("Well python doesn't like you either")

The complete code should look something like this:

user_reply = ("Do you like python? (Type yes or no) ")
if user_reply == "yes"
   print("Python likes you to ! ")
elif user_reply == "maybe":
  print("Make up your mind!")
else:
  print("Well python doesn't like you either")

Don’t forget to press the tab after if statements.

Randomness in python

In python we can use the random function in order to generate random numbers. This can be extremely useful in a variety of things.

The first thing we will have to do is import the random function

import random

After that we can print out a random number with the following

print(random.randint(1,10))

This will output a random number from 1–10

randint stands for random integer.

Here is the full code.

import random
print(random.randint(1,10))

Loops in python

There are two types of loops in python

1. While loop
2. For loop

While loops only stop when something changes. If it doesn’t change they could go on forever.

With for loops on the other hand you can define exactly when you want them to stop

The most popular example of a while loop is

while True:

Which will run forever eg

while True:
    print("hi")

This will run forever.

With while loops on the other hand you can define exactly how many times you want the loop to run.

for x in range(0,10):
   print("Hi")

This will print Hi exactly 10 times

Guessing game

Now lets combine what learned from above and from our previous articles to create a game

The computer will select a random number from 1–10 and you will have to guess it.

The first thing we will have to do is

import random

After that we will create a variable called number

number = random.randint(1,10)

After that we will create another variable called your_guess

your_guess = int(input("Im thinking of a number from 1 to 10, can you guess which one?"))

We are using int as you will have to enter a number

Now we will create a while loop that will keep the game running until you guess the number

while your_guess != number:

The code so far is

import random
number = random.randint(1,10)
your_guess = int(input("Im thinking of a number from 1 to 10, can you guess which one?"))
while your_guess != number:
    if your_guess < number:
        print("Your number was too low")
    else:
        print("You number was to high")

And the following

print("GG you found it")

You code should now look like this

import random
number = random.randint(1,10)
your_guess = int(input("Im thinking of a number from 1 to 10, can you guess which one?"))
while your_guess != number:
    if your_guess < number:
        print("Your number was too low")
    else:
        print("You number was to high")
    your_guess = int(input("Please try again... "))
print("GG you found it")

Thats it for now

Stay tuned for more

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In this tutorial, we’ll learn how to use Python and Selenium to automate a web browser. This is an updated version of my previous article which unfortunately doesn’t work anymore. If you’re a complete beginner, read my python article to understand the basics. (https://4rkal.com/posts/python/)

What is selenium?

Selenium is an open source umbrella project for a range of tools and libraries aimed at supporting browser automation. You can use selenium in multiple programming languages including JavaScript (Node.js), C#, Groovy, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby and Scala and with multiple web browsers including firefox, internet explorer, safary, opera, chrome and edge. Selenium can be very useful for web scraping, automating boring and manual tasks and so much more.

Setup

To install selenium you first have to install a browser driver. Here is the list of supported web browsers :

• Firefox
• Internet Explorer?
• Safari
• Opera
• Chrome
• Edge In this article we will be using firefox geckodriver. But you can use any of the browser drivers above.

Downloading geckodriver

To get started go to github.com/mozilla/geckodriver/releases Scroll down and select the package for your computer. I’ll use geckodriver-v0.31.0-linux64.tar.gz because I’m using a linux 64-bit computer.

Installing geckodriver

The setup varies depending on your operating system.

If you are using Arch Linux: You can install geckodriver from the aur. Using your favourite aur helper

On linux:

1. Unzip the file
2. Make the file executable chmod +x geckodriver
3. Add the driver to your PATH so other tools can find it: export PATH=$PATH:/path-to-extracted-file/ On windows:
4. Unzip the file
5. Paste the file in the directory that your script will run

Installing selenium

To install selenium you have to have python and pip installed.Check out my article on python for more To install selenium open your cmd or terminal and type:
pip install selenium That should install it.\

Basics of selenium

The first thing we have to do is to create a new file with the .py ending eg. main.py
After you have created it open it in your ide or editor of choice.\

The first thing that we have to do is to import the selenium webdriver : from selenium import webdriver
After that we have to specify what webdriver we are using. In our case its firefox browser = webdriver.Firefox()
Now we need to specify the url that we want it to go to eg python.org

browser.get('https://python.org')
The full code so far is:\
import selenium
from selenium import webdriver
browser = webdriver.Firefox()
browser.get('https://python.org')

Now we might want it to click on the Downloads button

There are a few ways to do this

Method 1 of clicking a button

The first is with XPATH
To find the xpath of a button / object on a website you have to open your web browser go to the desired website and hit F12 to get the development tools. Now you should click on the select tool (See below) Click on it and after that hover above the downloads button with your mouse and click it. After that you should see a bit of code getting highlighted. Right click on the bit of code and select Copy then select Xpath Now go back to the python file and type:
driver.find_element(By.XPATH, 'XPATH_HERE')
This will throw an error, to fix that error simply add this at the top of the file
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
Your code so far should look like this

import selenium
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
browser = webdriver.Firefox()
browser.get('https://python.org')
browser.find_element(By.XPATH, '/html/body/div/header/div/nav/ul/li[2]/a').click()

Method 2

XPATH with text The second method is a bit simpler but not as reliable as the first as there might be many objects with the same name.
To use this method type: browser.find_element(By.XPATH, "//*[contains(text(), 'Downloads')]").click() Your code should look something like this

import selenium
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
browser = webdriver.Firefox()
browser.get('https://python.org')
browser.find_element(By.XPATH, "//*[contains(text(), 'Downloads')]").click()

. . . . .

There many methods on how to locate elements but the above i believe are the easiest. The methods are the following

• By.ID
• By.NAME
• By.XPATH
• By.LINK-TEXT
• By.TAG_NAME
• By.CLASS_NAME
• By.CSS_SELECTOR\

Read more here: https://selenium-python.readthedocs.io/locating-elements.html

Typing text into input fields.

Typing text into input fields is pretty straight forward.
For that we will use any of the above methods. I’m going to use xpath.
Find the xpath of any input field, I’m going to use the google.com search field
Copy the xpath and type:
a = browser.find_element(By.XPATH, "XPATH_HERE") Paste the xpath in XPATH_HERE

To send keys we need to import the selenium.webdriver.common.keys library for that paste this line of code at the top of your file
from selenium.webdriver.common.keys import Keys
Now type:
a.send_keys("python")
After that we want to press the enter key for that type:
a.send_keys(Keys.RETURN)
The full code should look something like this:

import selenium
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.webdriver.common.keys import Keys
browser = webdriver.Firefox()
browser.get('https://google.com')
a = browser.find_element(By.XPATH, "/html/body/div[1]/div[3]/form/div[1]/div[1]/div[1]/div/div[2]/input")
a.send_keys("python")
a.send_keys(Keys.RETURN)

GG you just automated your first google search! You might first need to accept cookies for that just follow the steps on how to click a button from above.
Read more about selenium here: https://selenium-python.readthedocs.io/\

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