Correct gunicorn.conf to get environmental variables for Django use

Question

I am deploying a Django app on my VPS using Nginx as the web server and Gunicorn installed in virtualenv. (I am using virtualenv with virtualenvwrapper.)

When I run Gunicorn like this, environment variables (such as database password, name) can be found:

workon virtual_env_name
# from my_project's root path
gunicorn my_project.wsgi --bind localhost:9000 --daemon
# this works

I exported the environment variables this way:

# /home/user_name/Envs/virtual_env_name/bin/postactivate
export DATABASE_PASSWORD="secret_password"

However the way below does not (whether or not virtual_env_name is activated):

sudo service gunicorn start
# env variables can't be found - KeyError thrown

This is how my gunicorn.conf script looks like:

start on (local-filesystems and net-device-up IFACE=eth0)
stop on runlevel [!12345]

# If the process quits unexpectadly trigger a respawn
respawn

setuid user_name
setgid www-data
chdir /home/user_name/my_project

exec /home/user_name/Envs/virtual_env_name/bin/gunicorn \
    --name=my_project \
    --pythonpath=/home/user_name/my_project \
    --bind=127.0.0.1:9000 \
    my_project.wsgi:application

I can confirm this gunicorn.conf works if I hard code all the password, keys into my Django's settings.py instead of using os.environ[..].

What do I need to do to make my environment variables found when I start Gunicorn with sudo service start? What's the difference between the first and second way? Thanks.

Please kindly correct me (or edit my question) if I use any terms wrong or ambiguously. — Jonas, Nov 11 '15 at 14:35
Please show output of `pip freeze` on Your system and on virtualenv. — Tomasz Jakub Rup, Nov 11 '15 at 14:40
Here is my [pip freeze for system](https://gist.github.com/jnshey/3b37eb8bfc2f1392d355) and [pip freeze for virtualenv](https://gist.github.com/jnshey/24acc400606bb91d3de7). — Jonas, Nov 11 '15 at 14:47

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 11 '15 at 14:47

5

You need to define those variables inside gunicorn.conf.

env DATABASE_PASSWORD="secret_password"

answered Nov 11 '15 at 14:47

Daniel Roseman

588,541
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Thanks. Yes, it works. But why can't the env variables in postactivate be seen when I use `sudo service gunicorn start`? – Jonas Nov 11 '15 at 14:56
One more question, why doesn't `env DEBUG=False` in `gunicorn.conf` disable debug mode for Django? In `settings.py`, I use `DEBUG = os.environ['DEBUG']`. – Jonas Nov 11 '15 at 15:09
2

First, because upstart starts your job in a completely new environment. And secondly, because the variables are all strings, and "False" is boolean true. – Daniel Roseman Nov 11 '15 at 15:23
Thanks. I now use `eval(os.environ['DEBUG'])`. Are there better methods such as making use of Truthy and Falsey values? – Jonas Nov 11 '15 at 15:45
It's a bad solution. When You remove Django from global packages (look at Your pip freeze results) then Your application does not start properly. – Tomasz Jakub Rup Nov 11 '15 at 16:07
@Thomasz Jakub Rup I think when I use virtual env's gunicorn by `/home/user_name/Envs/virtual_env_name/bin/gunicorn`, I am also using virtual env's django? – Jonas Nov 11 '15 at 16:28

Tomasz Jakub Rup · Answer 2 · 2015-11-11T16:14:40.287

1

You don't run the code in virtualenv.

Instead of exec use

pre-start script
    workon virtual_env_name
end script

script
    gunicorn \
        --name=my_project \
        --pythonpath=/home/user_name/my_project \
        --bind=127.0.0.1:9000 \
        my_project.wsgi:application
end script

workon update Your $PATH env variable.

edited Nov 11 '15 at 16:14

answered Nov 11 '15 at 14:54

Tomasz Jakub Rup

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Correct gunicorn.conf to get environmental variables for Django use

2 Answers2

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