A Django-based file management application designed for efficient file handling and storage.

• Django 4.x (Python web framework)
• Django REST Framework (API development)
• SQLite (Development database)
• Gunicorn (WSGI HTTP Server)
• WhiteNoise (Static file serving)

• Docker and Docker Compose
• Local file storage with volume mounting

Before you begin, ensure you have installed:

• Docker (20.10.x or higher) and Docker Compose (2.x or higher)
• Python (3.9 or higher) - for local development

Requires Python 3.11+ and make.

cp .env.example .env  # set your local environment variables
make setup            # create venv, install deps, run migrations
make run              # start dev server at http://localhost:8000
make test             # run full test suite

Run make help to see all available targets.

The application uses environment variables for security and limits. Copy the example file and modify the values:

cp .env.example .env

Key variables in .env:

• ADMIN_API_KEY: The master key for administrative actions.
• DJANGO_DEBUG: Set to True for development.
• ANONYMOUS_STORAGE_QUOTA_MB: Global limit for files without an API key.

docker-compose up --build

cd backend
python3.11 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate      # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install python-dotenv     # required for .env support
pip install -r requirements.txt
mkdir -p data media staticfiles
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py runserver

• Backend API: http://localhost:8000/api

• GET /api/files/
• Returns a list of all uploaded files
• Response includes file metadata (name, size, type, upload date)

• POST /api/files/
• Upload a new file
• Request: Multipart form data with 'file' field
• Returns: File metadata including ID and upload status

• GET /api/files/<file_id>/
• Retrieve details of a specific file
• Returns: Complete file metadata

• DELETE /api/files/<file_id>/
• Remove a file from the system
• Returns: 204 No Content on success

• Access file directly through the file URL provided in metadata

Tests use Python's standard unittest framework via Django's test runner. All test modules live under backend/files/tests/, one file per source module.

# Via Makefile (recommended)
make test                                                    # entire suite
make test-module MOD=test_repository                         # one module
make test-class  CLS=test_pagination.PaginationEnvelopeTests # one class
make test-method M=test_pagination.PaginationEnvelopeTests.test_default_page_size_is_20

# Directly (from backend/ with venv active)
python manage.py test files
python manage.py test files.tests.test_repository
python manage.py test files.tests.test_pagination.PaginationEnvelopeTests
python manage.py test files.tests.test_pagination.PaginationEnvelopeTests.test_default_page_size_is_20

A utility script is provided to verify that rate limits and storage quotas are working as expected.

# Ensure your ADMIN_API_KEY is set in .env, then run:
python scripts/test_api_limits.py  # Test rate limits & quotas
python scripts/test_api_dedup.py   # Test deduplication & cleanup
python scripts/test_api_search.py  # Test search, filtering & isolation

├── backend/                # Django backend
│   ├── files/             # Main application
│   │   ├── models.py      # Data models
│   │   ├── file_views.py  # API views
│   │   ├── urls.py        # URL routing
│   │   └── serializers.py # Data serialization
│   ├── core/              # Project settings
│   └── requirements.txt   # Python dependencies
├── api/                    # API definitions (Postman collection)
├── scripts/                # Verification scripts
└── docker-compose.yml    # Docker composition

• Hot reloading for backend development
• Django Debug Toolbar for debugging
• SQLite for easy development

1. Port Conflicts

   # If port 8000 is in use, modify docker-compose.yml or use:
   python manage.py runserver 8001

2. File Upload Issues

   • Maximum file size: 50MB
   • Ensure proper permissions on media directory
   • Check network tab for detailed error messages

3. Database Issues

   # Reset database
   rm backend/data/db.sqlite3
   python manage.py migrate