Configuration and Secrets

Never hardcode:

• database passwords
• API keys
• URLs

They change and must be protected.

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Use environment variables

export DB_URL="sqlite:///scraped.db"
export API_KEY="secret123"

import os

db_url = os.getenv("DB_URL")
api_key = os.getenv("API_KEY")

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Use .env file (with python-dotenv)

DB_URL=sqlite:///scraped.db
API_KEY=secret123

from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv()

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Why config matters

• safe secrets
• different envs (dev, prod)
• easy changes without code edit

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Graph: config flow

flowchart LR
  A[Env / Config File] --> B[App]
  B --> C[DB / APIs]

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Remember

• Never commit secrets to git
• Use env vars for sensitive data
• Keep config separate from logic