README.md

Python (Flask) Web App with MySQL and Key Vault

Artists Booking Venues powered by Python (Flask) and MySQL Database. There is no user authentication or per-user data stored.

The project is designed for deployment on Azure App Service with a MySQL flexible server. See deployment instructions below.

Local Development

1. Download the project starter code locally

   git clone https://github.com/john0isaac/flask-webapp-mysql-db.git
   cd flask-webapp-mysql-db

2. Install, initialize and activate a virtualenv using:

   pip install virtualenv
   python -m virtualenv venv
   source venv/bin/activate

   Note - In Windows, the venv does not have a bin directory. Therefore, you'd use the analogous command shown below:

   source venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install the dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run the development server:

   export FLASK_APP=app.py
   export FLASK_ENV=development
   export FLASK_DEBUG=true
   flask run --reload

   For Windows, use setx command shown below:

    setx FLASK_APP app.py
    setx FLASK_ENV development
    setx FLASK_DEBUG true
    flask run --reload

5. Verify on the Browser

Navigate to project homepage http://127.0.0.1:5000/ or http://localhost:5000

Connect to your Database locally

This application is configured to work without connecting a database for the pages that doesn't interact with it. If you want to enable database operations you'll need to connect to a database.

• Run the following commands to connect to a database:

  export DEPLOYMENT_LOCATION=local
  export DB_USER=
  export DB_PASSWORD=
  export DB_HOST=
  export DB_NAME=

• For windows, add configuration using:

  setx DEPLOYMENT_LOCATION local
  setx DB_USER user
  setx DB_PASSWORD password
  setx DB_HOST host
  setx DB_NAME dbname

• Run the development server again.

Deployment

This repository is set up for deployment on Azure App Service (w/MySQL flexible server) using the configuration files in the infra folder.

To deploy your own instance, follow these steps:

1. Sign up for a free Azure account

2. Install the Azure Dev CLI.

3. Initialize a new azd environment:

   azd init -t john0isaac/flask-webapp-mysql-db

   It will prompt you to provide a name (like "flask-app") that will later be used in the name of the deployed resources.

4. Provision and deploy all the resources:

   azd up

   It will prompt you to login, pick a subscription, and provide a location (like "eastus"). Then it will provision the resources in your account and deploy the latest code. If you get an error with deployment, changing the location (like to "centralus") can help, as there may be availability constraints for some of the resources.

5. When azd has finished deploying, you'll see an endpoint URI in the command output. Visit that URI to browse the app! 🎉

If you make any changes to the app code, you can just run this command to redeploy it:

azd deploy

Security

It is important to secure the databases in web applications to prevent unwanted data access. This infrastructure uses the following mechanisms to secure the MySQL database:

• Azure Firewall: The database is accessible only from other Azure IPs, not from public IPs. (Note that includes other customers using Azure).
• Admin Username: Randomly generated and stored in Key Vault.
• Admin Password: Randomly generated and stored in Key Vault.
• MySQL Version: Latest available on Azure, version 8.0, which includes security improvements.

⚠️ For even more security, consider using an Azure Virtual Network to connect the Web App to the Database.

Costs

Pricing varies per region and usage, so it isn't possible to predict exact costs for your usage.

You can try the Azure pricing calculator for the resources:

• Azure App Service: Free Tier with shared CPU cores, 1 GB RAM. Pricing
• MySQL Flexible Server: Burstable Tier with 1 CPU core, 20GB storage. Pricing is hourly. Pricing
• Key Vault: Standard tier with 2 secrets. Vaults are offered in two service tiers—standard and premium. Pricing

⚠️ To avoid unnecessary costs, remember to take down your app if it's no longer in use, either by deleting the resource group in the Portal or running azd down.