Verifier

This web application allows for consumers to trace the origin of a product to ensure authenticity. All records related to a product are protected cryptographically.

Tech stack

• Python / Django
• PostgreSQL

Project structure (important bits)

• verifier/manage.py — Django entrypoint
• verifier/verifier/settings.py — Django settings (includes DB config)
• verifier/chain/ — main Django app
• verifier/chain/migrations/ — database migrations

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+ (3.12 also works for most Django setups)
• PostgreSQL 14+ (or any reasonably recent version)
• (Recommended) venv for virtual environments

Quickstart (local development)

1) Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/TaffCodes/verifier.git
cd verifier

2) Create and activate a virtual environment

macOS / Linux

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Windows (PowerShell)

py -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

3) Install Python dependencies

This repository may not include a requirements.txt / pyproject.toml at the root. If it does, use one of the following:

• If requirements.txt exists:

  pip install -r requirements.txt

• If pyproject.toml exists:

  pip install .

If neither exists, you’ll need to install dependencies manually (at minimum):

pip install django psycopg2-binary

4) Set up PostgreSQL database

The repository currently hardcodes PostgreSQL settings in verifier/verifier/settings.py:

• DB name: supplychain
• DB user: postgres
• DB password: aaabbb.
• DB host: localhost
• DB port: 5432

You can either:

• (A) create a local database/user matching those settings, or
• (B) change settings.py to match your local credentials.

Option A: Create DB that matches current settings

Log into Postgres and create the database:

psql -U postgres

Then in the psql prompt:

CREATE DATABASE supplychain;
-- If you want to set the password to match settings.py:
ALTER USER postgres WITH PASSWORD 'aaabbb.';

Exit:

\q

Option B (recommended): Use your own credentials

Edit verifier/verifier/settings.py and update:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
        'NAME': 'supplychain',
        'USER': 'postgres',
        'PASSWORD': 'aaabbb.',
        'HOST': 'localhost',
        'PORT': '5432',
    }
}

Tip: For a real project, move these to environment variables (DATABASE_URL or individual DB_* vars) instead of committing secrets.

5) Run migrations

From the repo root, run:

python verifier/manage.py migrate

This will apply migrations including the initial migration for the chain app (e.g. verifier/chain/migrations/0001_initial.py).

6) Create an admin user (optional but recommended)

python verifier/manage.py createsuperuser

7) Run the development server

python verifier/manage.py runserver

Then open:

• http://127.0.0.1:8000/

Admin (if enabled):

• http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/

Common commands

Run migrations:

python verifier/manage.py makemigrations
python verifier/manage.py migrate

Run Django shell:

python verifier/manage.py shell

Collect static files (production-ish):

python verifier/manage.py collectstatic

Troubleshooting

psycopg2 / PostgreSQL driver errors

If you get errors installing psycopg2, try:

pip install psycopg2-binary

Cannot connect to Postgres

Verify:

• Postgres is running
• Host/port are correct (localhost:5432)
• Credentials in settings.py match your DB user/password
• Database supplychain exists

Migrations fail due to missing DB

Make sure you created the database first (CREATE DATABASE supplychain;) before running migrate.

Security notes

• SECRET_KEY and database credentials appear to be hard-coded in verifier/verifier/settings.py.
• Do not use these values in production.
• Prefer environment-based configuration and DEBUG = False for production deployments.