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Startup Information Display

Django-CFG provides a comprehensive startup information system that gives you complete visibility into your application’s configuration, status, and available features when your Django server starts.

Django-CFG Startup Information Display

Overview

The startup information system displays:

  • System Configuration: Version, environment, project details
  • Application Status: Enabled apps, endpoints, and integrations
  • Dynamic Settings: Constance fields from multiple sources
  • Development Tools: Management commands, background tasks
  • Health Monitoring: Service status and update notifications

Display Modes

Control the verbosity of startup information with three configurable modes:

🔴 NONE Mode

Perfect for: Production, CI/CD, Docker containers

Django CFG v1.2.30 • production • My Project • 🚨 UPDATE AVAILABLE

Features:

  • Single line output
  • Critical information only
  • Update notifications
  • Minimal resource usage

🟡 SHORT Mode

Perfect for: Development, staging, quick checks

Shows:

  • Compact header with version and environment
  • Apps grid (up to 8 apps)
  • Essential endpoints (up to 6)
  • System status metrics
  • Update notifications
  • Commands summary

Layout: Horizontal columns, space-efficient

🟢 FULL Mode (Default)

Perfect for: Development, debugging, system analysis

Shows comprehensive system overview:

Main Information Panels

  • Django CFG Configuration: Version, environment, project info, health endpoint
  • Update Notifications: Version comparison and upgrade instructions
  • Background Tasks: ReArq status, queue configuration, worker commands
  • Management Commands: Complete breakdown of available CLI tools

Dynamic Configuration

  • Constance Fields Summary: Runtime settings breakdown by source
    • User-defined fields
    • Tasks module fields
    • Knowbase app fields
    • Payments app fields
    • Total field count

Application Overview

  • Enabled Apps & Endpoints: Side-by-side view of active applications and their API endpoints
  • App-Specific Status: Payment systems, task queues, knowledge base
  • System Configuration: Cache, validation, installed apps count

Detailed Breakdowns

  • Core & App Commands: Django-CFG commands alongside app-specific tools
  • Project Commands: Local management commands in organized columns
  • Settings Details: Constance field details grouped by category (General, Blog, etc.)

Configuration

In your DjangoConfig:

from django_cfg.core.config import DjangoConfig, StartupInfoMode
 
class MyProjectConfig(DjangoConfig):
    project_name: str = "My Project"
    
    # Control startup information display
    startup_info_mode: StartupInfoMode = StartupInfoMode.FULL  # Default

Environment Variables:

# Control via environment variable
DJANGO_STARTUP_INFO_MODE=none    # Minimal
DJANGO_STARTUP_INFO_MODE=short   # Essential  
DJANGO_STARTUP_INFO_MODE=full    # Complete (default)

Environment-Based Configuration:

import os
from django_cfg.core.config import StartupInfoMode
 
class MyProjectConfig(DjangoConfig):
    startup_info_mode: StartupInfoMode = (
        StartupInfoMode.NONE if os.getenv('DJANGO_ENV') == 'production'
        else StartupInfoMode.FULL
    )

Key Features

Rich Visual Layout

  • Consistent Width: All panels use standardized 120-character width
  • Balanced Columns: Perfect 50/50 split for two-column layouts
  • Integrated Blocks: Complex information organized in nested components
  • Color Coding: Different colors for different types of information

Smart Information Discovery

  • Dynamic App Detection: Automatically discovers enabled Django-CFG apps
  • Constance Integration: Collects runtime settings from all sources
  • Command Collection: Finds and categorizes all available management commands
  • Version Monitoring: Checks for updates with intelligent caching

Performance Optimized

  • Lazy Loading: Information gathered only when needed
  • Caching: Version checks cached to prevent redundant API calls
  • Error Resilience: Graceful degradation when services unavailable
  • Resource Efficient: Mode-based resource usage

What You’ll See

System Information

🚧 Django CFG Configuration
Version: 1.2.30
🌍 Environment: development  
🏗️ Project: My Django Project
❤️ Health: http://localhost:8000/cfg/health/

Application Status

📱 Enabled Apps          🔗 Endpoints
• health                 • http://localhost:8000/cfg/health/
• commands               • http://localhost:8000/cfg/commands/
• payments               • http://localhost:8000/api/payments/
• knowbase               • http://localhost:8000/api/knowbase/

Dynamic Configuration

📊 Constance Fields Summary
User Defined     5
Payments App     4  
Knowbase App     3
Total           12

General Settings      Blog Settings
SITE_NAME        str     MAX_POSTS_PER_PAGE  int
SITE_DESCRIPTION str     FEATURED_POSTS      bool
MAINTENANCE_MODE bool

Development Tools

Management Commands
Core Commands      21
📱 App Commands       11  
🏗️ Project Commands    58
📊 Total              90

Benefits

For Developers

  • Instant Overview: See your entire application status at a glance
  • Configuration Validation: Spot misconfigurations immediately
  • Feature Discovery: Find available commands and endpoints
  • Debug Information: Rich context for troubleshooting

For Teams

  • Consistent Experience: Same information display across environments
  • Documentation: Self-documenting application structure
  • Onboarding: New team members understand the system quickly
  • Monitoring: Easy to spot when services are down or misconfigured

For Operations

  • Health Monitoring: Immediate visibility into system status
  • Version Management: Clear update notifications
  • Environment Validation: Confirm correct environment configuration
  • Resource Optimization: Choose appropriate verbosity for each environment

Troubleshooting

Common Scenarios

Missing Information: If expected apps or endpoints don’t appear, check:

  • App is properly installed in INSTALLED_APPS
  • App configuration is enabled in your DjangoConfig
  • No errors in app initialization

Performance Issues: If startup feels slow:

  • Use SHORT or NONE mode for faster startup
  • Check for network issues affecting version checking
  • Review app initialization code for bottlenecks

Layout Problems: If information appears misaligned:

  • Ensure terminal width is at least 120 characters
  • Check for special characters in app names or descriptions
  • Verify Rich library is properly installed

Best Practices

Development Workflow

# During active development - see everything
startup_info_mode = StartupInfoMode.FULL
 
# For quick testing - essential info only  
startup_info_mode = StartupInfoMode.SHORT
 
# For production - minimal noise
startup_info_mode = StartupInfoMode.NONE

Environment Configuration

# Automatic mode selection based on environment
class ProductionConfig(DjangoConfig):
    startup_info_mode: StartupInfoMode = StartupInfoMode.NONE
 
class DevelopmentConfig(DjangoConfig):  
    startup_info_mode: StartupInfoMode = StartupInfoMode.FULL
 
class StagingConfig(DjangoConfig):
    startup_info_mode: StartupInfoMode = StartupInfoMode.SHORT

CI/CD Integration

# In your deployment scripts
export DJANGO_STARTUP_INFO_MODE=none
 
# In your development docker-compose
environment:
  - DJANGO_STARTUP_INFO_MODE=short

🔮 Advanced Features

Ngrok Integration

When using ngrok for local development, the system automatically detects and displays:

  • Tunnel status and configuration
  • Public URL for webhook testing
  • Usage instructions

Update Monitoring

  • Automatic checking for new Django-CFG versions
  • Prominent display when updates are available
  • Direct upgrade commands provided

Background Tasks

  • ReArq queue status and configuration
  • Worker startup commands
  • Task-related management commands

The startup information system is designed to be your mission control center - giving you complete visibility and control over your Django-CFG application from the moment it starts.

CORSUtilities