Spider-Webapp: Swing Into Action with This Webapp Template

The Origin Story

Just like Peter Parker didn't become Spider-Man overnight, building a webapp from scratch isn't a walk in Central Park. You've got villains, in the form of base technologies to wrangle: a server, APIs, SSL certificates, databases, and even authentication. It's like trying to balance school, work, and being a superhero all at once! But fret not, true believer! Spider-Webapp is here to give you a head start, offering a template based on the following state-of-the-art technologies:

The Tech Lineup

• Nginx Server: Directing web traffic faster than you can say "I need the help of Spider-Man!" Acts as a reverse proxy to route web traffic to the right application services.

• Certbot: The "Spider-Sense" of our setup, alerting you to SSL certificate needs and configuring Nginx to use them securely.

• Gunicorn with FastAPI: Think of Gunicorn as the webbing that holds your FastAPI application together. FastAPI is the high-performance, easy-to-use framework that's as agile as our web-crawler hero.

• SQLite Database: Lighter than Peter Parker's backpack, this self-contained, serverless, and zero-configuration database engine is perfect for data storage on starting projects. Can be swapped out for heavy-hitters like PostgreSQL or MySQL when it's time to join the Avengers.

• Optional Firebase Authentication: Need to know who's behind the mask? Use Firebase for user authentication, if you so choose.

Why Choose Spider-Webapp?

This template is designed to be as customizable as a Spidey suit and scalable enough to handle anything from a local skirmish to an intergalactic threat. Ideal for deployment on a server (e.g., AWS's EC2).

Configuration

Domain Association: Your Web Identity

1. Purchase a Domain: Acquire a domain from a reputable domain registrar.
2. DNS Setup: Point your domain to your server's IP address via the domain registrar's dashboard.
3. Nginx Configuration: Update the server_name directive in nginx-prod.conf to your domain.
4. SSL Certificate: Run certbot --nginx and follow the on-screen instructions to secure your domain with SSL.

In nginx.conf within the /nginx folder, replace [yourdomain.zzz] with your domain. If using a subdomain like api.yourdomain.zzz, replace [name of your subdomain] with API.

Nginx Server

Edit nginx-prod.conf in the nginx directory to configure the server, including server name and upstream API server settings.

Certbot

Certbot is ready to go with Nginx. To get a new certificate, simply run certbot --nginx. Note: A domain is required.

FastAPI

Navigate to fastapi-app and modify main.py to add or alter API endpoints. Middleware support is also available.

Environment Variables

These are stored in a .env file in the project root. Docker Compose uses this file during container build and run. Here's a sample:

# Database
DATABASE_PATH=/path/to/database
DATABASE_FILE_NAME="database.db"

# API
API_TIMEOUT=360

Remember to update the .env file with your specific configuration before building and running the Docker containers.

Note: Do not commit the .env file to version control. It contains sensitive information and should be kept private.

SQLite Database

The SQLite database is file-based, and it will be stored in the server. Use a SQLite client for schema modifications, for example the python library sqlite3 .To initialize it, edit the file init_db.py to include the fields that you need, and start it with:

python init_db.py

Most probably you would need root access to modify the file (you can use sudo before).

Firebase Authentication (Optional)

1. Create a Firebase project.
2. Enable desired sign-in methods under 'Authentication'.
3. Moify the file website/sign-in.html accordingly.

Server port configuration

Typically, open the following ports:

1. Port 80: For HTTP and Certbot's ACME challenge.
2. Port 443: For HTTPS.

Running the Application: Launch Time

1. Build and Run: Navigate to the project root and execute: ```bash docker-compose --env-file .env -f docker-compose.yml up -d --build ```
2. Stopping the App: To halt the application, run: ```bash docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml down ```

Remember to rebuild Docker images after any configuration changes.