Military Unit Dashboard

A simple MVP Django web application for military unit management, focused on basic functionality for Kubernetes deployment practice. This project serves as a learning tool for DevOps engineers practicing Kubernetes deployment, scaling, and management.

Disclaimer

This project is intended solely for testing and learning purposes. It may contain security vulnerabilities and may not conform to security best practices. Do not use this application in production environments.

Dashboard Overview

Soldiers Dashboard

Equipment Dashboard

Features

• User Authentication: Login/logout functionality using Django's built-in authentication system
• Soldier Management: Add, edit, delete, and view soldiers with basic information
• Equipment Tracking: Add, edit, delete, and view equipment with assignment to soldiers
• Dashboard: View counts, recent additions, and equipment status distribution
• Admin Panel: Django admin interface for data management
• Kubernetes Ready: Includes Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml, and Kubernetes manifests

User Authentication

Technology Stack

• Backend: Python/Django 4.2+
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Frontend: Django Templates with Bootstrap CSS
• Authentication: Django's built-in authentication
• Containerization: Docker
• Orchestration: Kubernetes

Local Development Setup

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• pip
• PostgreSQL (optional, SQLite is used by default for development)
• Docker and Docker Compose (optional)

Environment Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/cloudenochcsis/Military_Unit_Dashboard.git
   cd Military_Unit_Dashboard

2. Create a virtual environment and activate it:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Create a .env file in the project root with the following variables (optional for development):

   DEBUG=1
   SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key
   DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/military_dashboard
   ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1
   

5. Run migrations:

   python manage.py migrate
   python manage.py makemigrations dashboard
   python manage.py migrate dashboard

6. Create a superuser:

   python manage.py createsuperuser

7. Load sample data (optional):

   python manage.py seed_data

8. Run the development server:

   python manage.py runserver

9. Access the application at http://127.0.0.1:8000

10. Login with the superuser credentials you created in step 6

Docker Deployment

1. Create a .env file with the following required environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env to customize settings if needed

2. Build and run the application using Docker Compose:

   docker-compose up --build

3. Access the application at http://localhost:8000

4. Create a superuser:

   docker-compose exec web python manage.py createsuperuser

5. Load sample data (optional):

   docker-compose exec web python manage.py seed_data

Kubernetes Deployment

Prerequisites

• Kubernetes cluster
• kubectl configured to connect to your cluster

Deployment Steps

1. Build and push the Docker image to a registry:

   docker build -t your-registry/military-dashboard:latest .
   docker push your-registry/military-dashboard:latest

2. Update the image name in kubernetes/deployment.yaml to match your registry.

3. Apply the Kubernetes manifests:

   kubectl apply -f kubernetes/configmap.yaml
   kubectl apply -f kubernetes/deployment.yaml
   kubectl apply -f kubernetes/service.yaml

4. Access the application through the Ingress hostname (you may need to add the hostname to your /etc/hosts file):

   military-dashboard.local
   

Health Check Endpoint

The application provides a health check endpoint at /health/ that returns a JSON response with status "ok". This endpoint is used by Kubernetes for liveness and readiness probes.

Notes for Production Deployment

• Change the SECRET_KEY to a secure value in production
• Set DEBUG=0 in production
• Update ALLOWED_HOSTS with your production domain
• Consider using a managed PostgreSQL service
• Set up proper TLS/SSL for secure connections
• Implement proper backup strategies for the database
• Configure appropriate resource limits in Kubernetes manifests

Version History

• v1.0.0 - Initial MVP release with core features (Soldier and Equipment management, Dashboard, Docker and Kubernetes support)

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.