Link to original video by London App Developer

Django Docker Deployment with HTTPS using Letsencrypt

Short Summary:

This video demonstrates how to deploy a Django application to AWS using Docker and Docker Compose while enabling HTTPS using the free Let's Encrypt service. The video covers setting up a basic Django project, creating a reverse proxy with Nginx, and using Certbot to obtain and manage SSL certificates. It also explains how to configure DNS records in Route 53 to point a domain name to the deployed application. The video highlights the importance of HTTPS for secure data transmission and emphasizes the need for regular certificate renewal.

Detailed Summary:

1. Introduction (0:00-1:15)

The video introduces the topic of deploying a Django application to AWS using Docker and Docker Compose, with a focus on enabling HTTPS.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of HTTPS for secure communication and data protection.
The video outlines the deployment process, which involves using Docker, Docker Compose, Let's Encrypt, and AWS Route 53.

2. Project Setup and Local Development (1:15-7:00)

The video guides viewers through setting up a basic Django project using Docker and Docker Compose.
It explains the creation of a requirements.txt file, a Dockerfile, and a docker-compose.yml configuration for local development.
The speaker demonstrates how to create a Django project and a simple app called "home" within the project.
The video emphasizes the importance of using pinned versions of dependencies for consistency.

3. Setting Up Nginx Reverse Proxy (7:00-16:00)

The video explains the role of Nginx as a reverse proxy and its importance for serving HTTPS.
It demonstrates the creation of template configuration files for Nginx, default.com.tpl and default-ssl.conf.tpl, which are used to generate the actual configuration files based on environment variables.
The video explains the need for separate configuration files for HTTP and HTTPS, particularly for handling the Let's Encrypt challenge.
The speaker provides a detailed explanation of the Nginx configuration files, including the location blocks, SSL certificate and key paths, and the inclusion of options-ssl-nginx.conf and uwsgi_params files.

4. Creating the Certbot Service (16:00-20:00)

The video explains the purpose of Certbot and its role in obtaining and managing SSL certificates.
It demonstrates the creation of a certify-init.sh script for obtaining the initial certificate.
The speaker explains the importance of the certbot cert only command for generating certificates within a Docker environment.
The video also covers the creation of a Dockerfile for the Certbot service and the configuration of environment variables for email and domain name.

5. Deployment Configuration and Server Setup (20:00-28:00)

The video explains the difference between local development and deployment configurations for Docker Compose.
It demonstrates the creation of a separate docker-compose.deploy.yml file for deployment, which includes environment variables for Django's secret key and allowed hosts.
The speaker guides viewers through setting up an AWS EC2 instance, importing an SSH key, and configuring security groups.
The video emphasizes the importance of using a domain name registered through Route 53 for obtaining SSL certificates.

6. Deploying the Application and Auto-Renewal (28:00-39:00)

The video demonstrates the process of connecting to the EC2 instance via SSH and installing Docker and Docker Compose.
It explains how to generate an SSH key on the server and add it as a deploy key to the GitHub repository.
The speaker guides viewers through configuring DNS records in Route 53 to point the domain name to the EC2 instance.
The video demonstrates the initial deployment process, including running the certify-init.sh script to obtain the first certificate.
The speaker explains the importance of auto-renewal and demonstrates how to set up a cron job to run the certbot renew command regularly.

7. Conclusion (39:00-40:00)

The video concludes by summarizing the key steps involved in deploying a Django application with HTTPS using Docker and Let's Encrypt.
The speaker encourages viewers to explore other resources and courses available on the channel and website.
The video emphasizes the importance of HTTPS for secure communication and highlights the benefits of using Docker for deployment.

Notable Quotes:

"HTTPS is very important now. It's really important to keep your application secure because you don't want to be sending data over clear text communication."
"You want to make sure that everything is encrypted where possible."
"You don't want to leave debug mode turned on in production."
"You want to make sure that anyone accessing your server is using only the approved domain names."
"The certificates that are issued by Let's Encrypt are only valid for three months."
"It's easy to forget [to renew certificates]... very prone to error."