Backend Setup

Prerequisites

• Docker + Docker Compose
• AWS credentials (for S3 in production)

Local Development

1. Copy env file:

   cp .env.development.example .env.development
   # fill in required values

2. Start services:

   docker compose up

   This brings up: Django app, MySQL, Redis, Celery worker, Celery beat.

3. Run migrations:

   docker compose run --rm django python manage.py migrate

4. Create a superuser:

   docker compose run --rm django python manage.py createsuperuser

5. Load fixtures (optional):

   docker compose run --rm django python manage.py loaddata novahomecareapi/fixtures/*.json

Settings Structure

Settings are split by environment under config/settings/:

File	When used
base.py	Shared across all envs
local.py	Local dev (DEBUG=True, Django Debug Toolbar)
production.py	Production (S3, strict security headers)
test.py	pytest runs

Select via DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE env var.

Running Tests

docker compose run --rm django pytest
docker compose run --rm django pytest --cov

Code Quality

# Format
docker compose run --rm django black .

# Lint
docker compose run --rm django flake8

Pre-commit hooks run Black + Flake8 automatically on commit.