ALLOWED_HOSTS configuration in Django - Mini Project: Build & Apply

ALLOWED_HOSTS Configuration in Django

📖 Scenario: You are setting up a Django web application that will be accessed from specific domain names. To keep your app secure, you need to configure which hosts are allowed to serve your site.

🎯 Goal: Configure the ALLOWED_HOSTS setting in Django's settings.py file to specify the exact domain names your app will respond to.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a list variable named ALLOWED_HOSTS in settings.py

Include the exact hostnames 'localhost' and 'example.com' in the list

Add a variable debug_mode set to False to simulate production environment

Use a conditional statement to include a warning comment if debug_mode is False and ALLOWED_HOSTS is empty

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Web developers must configure ALLOWED_HOSTS in Django to prevent HTTP Host header attacks and ensure the app only responds to trusted domains.

💼 Career

Understanding ALLOWED_HOSTS is essential for Django developers to deploy secure and reliable web applications in production.

1

Create the ALLOWED_HOSTS list

In settings.py, create a list variable called ALLOWED_HOSTS with the exact values 'localhost' and 'example.com'.

Django

# Your code here

Need a hint?

Remember, ALLOWED_HOSTS is a list of strings.

2

Add a debug_mode variable

Below the ALLOWED_HOSTS list, create a variable called debug_mode and set it to False.

Django

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['localhost', 'example.com']
# Your code here

Need a hint?

This variable simulates whether the app is in debug mode or production.

3

Check ALLOWED_HOSTS when debug_mode is false

Write an if statement that checks if debug_mode is False and ALLOWED_HOSTS is empty. Inside the if, write a comment saying # Warning: ALLOWED_HOSTS is empty in production.

Django

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['localhost', 'example.com']
debug_mode = False
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use and to combine conditions in the if statement.

4

Add localhost to ALLOWED_HOSTS if empty in production

Add an else block after the if statement. Inside the else, append 'localhost' to the ALLOWED_HOSTS list.

Django

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['localhost', 'example.com']
debug_mode = False
if debug_mode == False and ALLOWED_HOSTS == []:
    # Warning: ALLOWED_HOSTS is empty in production
# Your code here

Need a hint?

The append() method adds an item to the end of a list.