Updated README to accurately reflect the repo

README.md

@@ -1,60 +1,183 @@
-# flask-example
+# Flask DevOps Reference Application
 
-A minimal web app developed with [Flask](http://flask.pocoo.org/) framework. 
+This repository contains a modified Flask application used as a reference implementation for a DevOps setup for Auby & Brinch Finance.
 
-The main purpose is to introduce how to implement the essential elements in web application with Flask, including
+The project demonstrates how a small development team can move from manual releases to a more controlled workflow using GitLab CI/CD, Docker, automated
+testing, container registry and Kubernetes deployments to separate staging and production environments.
 
-- URL Building
+## Project Context
 
-- Authentication with Sessions
+Auby & Brinch Finance currently has a small software team with limited DevOps experience. Their internal web application is important for daily business
+operations, and the company plans to grow the development team.
 
-- Template & Template Inheritance
+The purpose of this repository is to demonstrate a suggested technical setup that supports:
 
-- Error Handling
+- Automated testing with coverage
+- Containerized application builds
+- GitLab Container Registry
+- Automated deployment to staging
+- Manual approval before production deployment
+- Separate Kubernetes namespaces for staging and production
+- SQLite for local development
+- PostgreSQL for staging and production
+- Gunicorn for containerized runtime
 
-- Integrating with *Bootstrap*
+## Repository Structure
 
-- Interaction with Database (SQLite)
+```text
+.
+├── app.py                  # Flask application routes
+├── database.py             # SQLite/PostgreSQL database access
+├── config.py               # Flask configuration
+├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
+├── Dockerfile              # Container image definition
+├── compose.yml             # Local Docker Compose setup
+├── .gitlab-ci.yml          # GitLab CI/CD pipeline
+├── .dockerignore           # Files excluded from Docker build context
+├── tests/                  # Pytest test suite
+├── manifests/
+│   ├── stage/              # Kubernetes manifests for staging
+│   └── prod/               # Kubernetes manifests for production
+├── templates/              # Flask HTML templates
+├── static/                 # Static assets
+├── image_pool/             # Uploaded/example images
+└── database_file/          # Local SQLite databases
+```
 
-- Invoking static resources
+## Local Development
 
-For more basic knowledge of Flask, you can refer to [a tutorial on Tutorialspoint](https://www.tutorialspoint.com/flask/).
+The application uses SQLite by default when DATABASE_URL is not set.
 
+```bash
+python3 -m venv .venv
+source .venv/bin/activate
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+python app.py
+```
 
-## How to Run
+The application starts on:
 
-- Step 1: Make sure you have Python
+http://localhost:5000
 
-- Step 2: Install the requirements: `pip install -r requirements.txt`
+Example login:
 
-- Step 3: Go to this app's directory and run `python app.py`
+```text
+Username: admin
+Password: admin
+```
 
+## Running Tests
 
+Run the automated test suite:
 
-## Details about This Toy App
+```bash
+PYTHONPATH=. pytest -q
+```
 
-There are three tabs in this toy app
+Run tests with coverage reporting:
 
-- **Public**: this is a page which can be accessed by anyone, no matter if the user has logged in or not.
+```bash
+PYTHONPATH=. pytest --cov=. --cov-report=term-missing
+```
 
-- **Private**: Only logged-in user can access this page. Otherwise the user will get a 401 error page.
+At the time of writing, the test suite covers basic routing, authentication behavior and selected authenticated actions, reaching approximately 69% coverage.
 
-- **Admin Page**: This part is only open to the user who logged in as "Admin". In this tab, the administrator can manage accounts (list, delete, or add).
+## Docker
 
+Build the application image locally:
 
-A few accounts were set for testing, like ***admin*** (password: admin), ***test*** (password: 123456), etc. You can also delete or add accounts after you log in as ***admin***.
+```bash
+docker build -t flask-devops-app .
+```
 
+Run the image locally:
 
+```bash
+docker run --rm -p 5000:5000 flask-devops-app
+```
 
-## References
+The container uses Gunicorn:
 
-- http://flask.pocoo.org/
+```bash
+gunicorn -b 0.0.0.0:5000 app:app
+```
 
-- https://www.tutorialspoint.com/flask/
+## Docker Compose
 
+A local Compose setup is included:
 
+```bash
+docker compose up --build
+```
 
-## Credict
-Image private.jpg: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:(315-365)_Locked_(6149414678).jpg
+The Compose file starts:
 
-Image public.jpg: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drown%3F!_(131380682).jpg
+- Flask application
+- PostgreSQL database
+
+When DATABASE_URL is set, the application uses PostgreSQL. Otherwise it uses the local SQLite database files.
+
+## CI/CD Pipeline
+
+The GitLab pipeline is defined in .gitlab-ci.yml.
+
+Pipeline stages:
+
+```text
+test -> build -> deploy
+```
+
+The pipeline:
+
+1. Runs pytest with coverage.
+2. Builds a Docker image with Kaniko.
+3. Pushes the image to GitLab Container Registry.
+4. Deploys automatically to staging when changes are merged to main.
+5. Provides a manual production deployment job.
+
+## Kubernetes Deployment
+
+Kubernetes manifests are stored in:
+
+```text
+manifests/stage/
+manifests/prod/
+```
+
+The setup uses separate namespaces:
+
+```text
+stage
+prod
+```
+
+Each environment contains manifests for:
+
+- Flask deployment
+- Flask service
+- PostgreSQL deployment
+- PostgreSQL service
+- PostgreSQL secret
+
+The Flask application receives a DATABASE_URL environment variable in staging and production.
+
+## GitLab Variables
+
+The pipeline expects the following variables:
+
+```text
+KUBECONFIGCONTENT
+CI_REGISTRY
+CI_REGISTRY_USER
+CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD
+CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE
+CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA
+```
+
+Most CI_* variables are provided by GitLab automatically. KUBECONFIGCONTENT must be configured in GitLab CI/CD variables and should be protected.
+
+## Operational Notes
+
+This reference setup demonstrates the delivery workflow. In a production rollout,
+PostgreSQL should use persistent storage, secrets should be managed outside the
+repository, and Kubernetes health checks/resource limits should be added.