page:guides:django:private file access

Enforce private-file authorization for Django

Summary
Private file access for a Django app on Ample. Verified on Django: a role-to-document access model with negative tests (401, 403) and an authorized private-bucket round-trip (private=ok). Build and start: pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress serving project.wsgi from run.py reading PORT on the python-3.12 template.

Representative Queries

Enforce private-file authorization for Django
Where can I host Enforce private-file authorization built with Django?
I need application identity integration, per-file access rules and negative authorization tests.

Resource Requirements

Compute
Postgres
S3-compatible object storage

Workflow Steps

Build and start
pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress serving project.wsgi from run.py reading PORT on the python-3.12 template; the server must bind 0.0.0.0 on PORT.

Create the bucket and pass its credentials
Create it once with ample bucket create, then pass endpoint, region, bucket and keys with --env; use path-style addressing.

ample deploy . --name <name> --public --start "python3 run.py" --env S3_ENDPOINT=... --env S3_REGION=... --env S3_BUCKET=... --env S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=... --env S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...

Authorize before touching storage
Return 401 for unauthenticated requests and 403 for the wrong role; keep the bucket unpublished and stream objects through the app.
Verify
Fetch the live URL and /p/private-document-library on the example; on failure read the build and runtime logs.
```
ample logs <log-options> --kind build  
```

Prerequisites

A Django project (pip install into .ample/python from requirements.txt, then waitress serving project.wsgi from run.py reading PORT on the python-3.12 template)
A PostgreSQL driver reading DATABASE_URL at runtime
A bucket from ample bucket create with credentials passed as encrypted S3_* environment variables
An Ample account token with servers:write, databases:read, buckets:read

Cost Estimate

Currency: USD
Monthly Amount: 10.0
Basis: size prices from pricing.toml (loaded by the API) at build revision 1ac5595375130d45290090e82ed0f554ccd45405-dirty
Components:
- app server: 1.0 x s-1vcpu-1gb = 5.0
- managed PostgreSQL database: 1.0 x s-1vcpu-1gb = 5.0
Note: Always-on monthly price of the tested sizes; apps auto-pause when idle. Buckets are allocation-priced per quota and not included.

Limitations

Verified on the python-3.12 template at s-1vcpu-1gb; other sizes and Django major versions are not verified.
Region, compliance attestations and request-duration limits are unknown and not claimed.
Managed PostgreSQL 16 only; extensions, connection limits and backup or restore procedures are not verified.
PutObject and GetObject with path-style addressing are verified; other S3 operations are not.

Examples

Django pattern fixture: Verified private file access on Django.
- Source Reference: tests/deploy-canaries/django-patterns

Success Checks

App responds on its public URL
- Kind: http_get
- Path: /
- Expect: ample canary django patterns
Private-document-library check from the example
- Kind: http_get
- Path: /p/private-document-library
- Expect: see the pattern fixture checks

Next Actions

Browse the catalog index
Search published recipes by intent, stack and constraints
Prepare a side-effect-free deployment plan for an authorized project
Read the existing agent authentication setup
Browse Django
Browse Connect app to storage
**Browse Private document library **