Django App for SBA Loan Application 🚀

Overview

This project is a comprehensive web application developed with Django to facilitate SBA Loan Request. It provides a platform for businesses to:

• Request Loans via an intuitive form.
• Access secure Client & Advisor Portals.
• Chat in Real-Time with banking advisors.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest Bank News.

All while maintaining robust security measures such as CSRF/XSS protection and encrypted password storage.

Objectives

• Loan Requests: Allow companies to apply for loans easily.
• Role-Based Access: Separate secure areas for clients and banking advisors.
• Real-Time Communication: Integrated chat using Django Channels (WebSockets).
• News Management: Create and publish bank news on the homepage.
• Enhanced Security: Secure authentication with encrypted passwords.

Technologies Used

• Language: Python 🐍
• Framework: Django 🕸️
• Database: MSSQL (Azure) / PostgreSQL (Local) / SQLite (Local) 🗄️
• Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript & Tailwind CSS 🎨
• Real-Time: Django Channels (WebSockets) 💬
• Deployment: Docker, Azure Container Instances & Terraform ☁️

Features

• User Authentication: Secure signup and login with role restrictions.
• Loan Management: Submit, track, and manage loan requests.
• Instant Messaging: Real-time chat between clients and advisors.
• News Publishing: Dynamically post and manage bank news.
• Admin Tools: Dashboard for monitoring user activities and loan approvals.
• Security: CSRF/XSS protection and strong password hashing.

Project Structure

MySbaApp/
├── Dockerfile                   # Docker configuration
├── docker-compose.yaml          # Docker Compose definitions
├── MySbaApp/                    # Django project root
│   ├── asgi.py                  # ASGI entry point (for WebSockets)
│   ├── settings.py              # Django settings
│   ├── urls.py                  # URL routing
│   └── wsgi.py                  # WSGI entry point
├── sbapp/                       # Main Django app
│   ├── forms.py                 # Django Forms (Loan Applications, Chat, etc.)
│   ├── models.py                # Database models (Users, Loans, Messages, News)
│   ├── signals.py               # Model signals
│   ├── templates/               # HTML Templates
│   │   └── sbapp/               # App-specific templates
│   ├── static/                  # Static assets (CSS, JS, Images)
│   └── views.py                 # Business logic
├── staticfiles/                 # Collected static files
├── theme/                       # UI Theme files (Tailwind, etc.)
├── requirements.txt             # Python dependencies
├── db.sqlite3                   # SQLite database (if used)
├── manage.py                    # Django CLI Management
└── terraform/                   # Terraform configuration for infrastructure
    ├── main.tf
    ├── provider.tf
    ├── outputs.tf
    └──  variables.tf

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12+
• pip & Virtualenv
• Docker (optional, for containerization)
• Azure CLI (for deploying to Azure)
• Terraform (for infrastructure management)

Installation

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your_username/fastapi_django.git
   cd fastapi_django/MySbaApp

2. Create and Activate a Virtual Environment:

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

3. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Apply Database Migrations:

   python manage.py migrate

5. Collect Static Files:

   python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

6. Run the Development Server:

   python manage.py runserver

Deployment

• Docker:
  Build and run your container with the provided Dockerfile.

• Azure Container Instances:
  Use the included deploy.sh script. Ensure proper configuration of environment variables (e.g., SECRET_KEY, DEBUG, ALLOWED_HOSTS, etc.).
  Example Commands for Debugging:

  az container logs --name "$CONTAINER_NAME" --resource-group "$RESOURCE_GROUP" --api-version "2024-11-01"
  az container attach --name "$CONTAINER_NAME" --resource-group "$RESOURCE_GROUP"

• Terraform:
  Use Terraform scripts in the terraform/ directory to provision infrastructure.Also, you need to create a terraform.tfvars file which will contain your ACI group, ACI registry, ACI container name, and ACI image name. It is not provided here because it contained private information.

Environment Variables

Configure the following variables either directly in your environment or in a .env file:

• SECRET_KEY
• DEBUG
• ALLOWED_HOSTS
• DATABASE_NAME
• MSSQL_ENGINE
• MSSQL_NAME
• MSSQL_USER
• MSSQL_PASSWORD
• MSSQL_HOST
• MSSQL_PORT

Debugging & Logging

• Local:
  Django logs detailed error messages to the console.

• Azure:
  Retrieve container logs or attach to your container for real-time debugging:

  az container logs --name "$CONTAINER_NAME" --resource-group "$RESOURCE_GROUP" --api-version "2024-11-01"
  az container attach --name "$CONTAINER_NAME" --resource-group "$RESOURCE_GROUP"

Contributing

Contributions are welcome!

1. Fork the Project
2. Create a Feature Branch: git checkout -b feature/new-feature
3. Commit Your Changes
4. Push to Your Branch: git push origin feature/new-feature
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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Author

This project was completed by Michael Adebayo 💻🚀