django-split-settings

Organize Django settings into multiple files and directories. Easily override and modify settings. Use wildcards in settings file paths and mark settings files as optional.

Read this blog post for more information. Also, check this example project.

Requirements

While this package will most likely work with the most versions of django, we officially support:

• 4.2
• 5.0
• 5.1

This package has no dependencies itself.

In case you need older python / django versions support, then consider using older versions of django-split-settings.

Installation

pip install django-split-settings

Usage

Replace your existing settings.py with a list of components that make up your Django settings. Preferably create a settings package that contains all the files.

Here's a minimal example:

from split_settings.tools import optional, include

include(
    'components/base.py',
    'components/database.py',
    optional('local_settings.py')
)

In the example, the files base.py and database.py are included in that order from the subdirectory called components/. local_settings.py in the same directory is included if it exists.

Note: The local context is passed on to each file, so each following file can access and modify the settings declared in the previous files.

We also made an in-depth tutorial.

Tips and tricks

You can use wildcards in file paths:

include('components/my_app/*.py')

Note that files are included in the order that glob returns them, probably in the same order as what ls -U would list them. The files are NOT in alphabetical order.

You can modify common settings in environment settings simply importing them

# local_settings.py
from components.base import INSTALLED_APPS

INSTALLED_APPS += (
  'raven.contrib.django.raven_compat',
)

Updating BASE_DIR

The django create-project command will create a variable in your settings.py called BASE_DIR, which is often used to locate static files, media files, and templates.

# Created by django create-project
BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "staticfiles/")
MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "mediafiles/")

The expression for BASE_DIR means: get the path to the current file (settings.py), get the parent folder (whatever you named your project), get the parent folder (the root of the project). So STATIC_ROOT will then be evaluated to /staticfiles (with / meaning the root of your project/repo).

With django-split-settings settings is now a module (instead of a file), so os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))) will evaluate to /whatever-you-named-your-project as opposed to /.

To fix this BASE_DIR needs to be set to the parent folder of /whatever-you-named-your-project:

BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))))

Do you want to contribute?

Read the CONTRIBUTING.md file.

Version history

See CHANGELOG.md file.