Configuration¶

After installing Arctyk ITSM using Docker, configure environment variables, database connections, and integrations before launching in production. This guide covers .env, docker-compose.yml, secure deployment, and automated documentation updates.

Environment Variables¶

Arctyk ITSM uses a .env file located in the project root /Arctyk/.env to manage configuration. This file is automatically loaded when running:

docker compose up -d

Here’s an example .env configured for the default Arctyk ITSM stack:

# ─── General Settings ─────────────────────────────
DEBUG=False
SECRET_KEY=your-strong-secret-key
ALLOWED_HOSTS=yourdomain.com,docs.arctyk.dev

# ─── Database Configuration ───────────────────────
DB_NAME=arctyk
DB_USER=arctyk
DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password
DB_HOST=db
DB_PORT=5433

# ─── Email Settings ───────────────────────────────
EMAIL_BACKEND=django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.office365.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
EMAIL_HOST_USER=helpdesk@yourdomain.com
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=yourpassword
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL=helpdesk@yourdomain.com

# ─── Localization ─────────────────────────────────
TIME_ZONE=America/Toronto
LANGUAGE_CODE=en-ca

# ─── Optional Features ────────────────────────────
ENABLE_JIRA=False
ENABLE_ZENDESK=False
ENABLE_POWER_PLATFORM=False
ENABLE_CELERY=True
ENABLE_CHANGELOG=True

Never commit your .env file to version control. Store it securely (e.g., Docker Secrets, Vault, or CI/CD secrets).

Secure Documentation Deployment¶

• Documentation is built with MkDocs and deployed automatically to your server using GitHub Actions.
• The docs site (docs.arctyk.dev) is served by NGINX from /srv/arctyk-docs.
• Deployment uses a dedicated docsdeploy user and SSH key for security.
• You can make the docs site private using NGINX basic auth or IP whitelisting.

Automated Docs Versioning¶

• The docs version is set in mkdocs.yml under extra.version.number.
• Each deployment automatically updates the Docs Version badge in README.md using the workflow.

Example in mkdocs.yml:

extra:
  version:
    number: v0.3.0-dev.0

Docker Compose Configuration¶

Your docker-compose.yml defines the Arctyk ITSM runtime stack:

version: "3.9"

services:
  web:
    build: .
    container_name: arctyk_web
    command: >
      sh -c "python manage.py migrate &&
             python manage.py collectstatic --noinput &&
             gunicorn helpdesk.asgi:application -k uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker --bind 0.0.0.0:8000"
    volumes:
      - .:/code
      - static_volume:/code/staticfiles
      - media_volume:/code/media
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    env_file:
      - .env
    depends_on:
      - db
    restart: unless-stopped

  db:
    image: postgres:17
    container_name: arctyk_db
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: ${DB_NAME}
      POSTGRES_USER: ${DB_USER}
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
    ports:
      - "5433:5432"
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  postgres_data:
  static_volume:
  media_volume:

This configuration ensures:

• The web service builds your Django app and runs via Gunicorn + UvicornWorker.
• The db service runs PostgreSQL 17 on port 5433.
• Static and media files persist via Docker volumes.

Django Settings Overview¶

Arctyk ITSM’s helpdesk/settings.py automatically loads configuration from your .env. You rarely need to modify this file directly — just adjust the environment values.

Key settings linked to your .env:

Database Configuration¶

Arctyk ITSM uses PostgreSQL as its default database. Your connection is fully defined in .env, and mapped in docker-compose.yml under the db service.

If your PostgreSQL server runs externally or on a different port, update:

DB_HOST=your-db-server-host
DB_PORT=5433

To apply changes:

docker compose down
docker compose up -d

You can verify the connection inside the web container:

docker compose exec web python manage.py dbshell

Email Configuration¶

Email enables features like:

• Ticket creation/assignment notifications
• Password reset emails
• Daily summaries

Use the SMTP backend (recommended for production):

EMAIL_BACKEND=django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.office365.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
EMAIL_HOST_USER=helpdesk@yourdomain.com
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=yourpassword
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL=helpdesk@yourdomain.com

To test your setup:

docker compose exec web python manage.py sendtestemail helpdesk@yourdomain.com

Optional Features¶

Arctyk ITSM includes modular integrations you can enable as needed. Set the following in your .env file:

Security Recommendations¶

• Set DEBUG=False
• Use a long, unique SECRET_KEY
• Limit ALLOWED_HOSTS to your actual domains
• Serve over HTTPS behind NGINX
• Keep .env and database volumes out of version control
• Use a dedicated deploy user for CI/CD
• Schedule regular backups for:
• /var/lib/postgresql/data
• /code/media
• .env and config files

Next Steps¶

• Continue to Deployment → for production setup.
• Or explore the User Guide → to start using Arctyk ITSM.