Release

This section documents the artefacts of AggFin production process, how deployed, and licensing and versioning strategies used.

What to Release

The typical release process of AggFin platform includes:

  • Backend Application: PFlask application code (routes, models, forms, main, auth, errors, users)application logic.
  • Templates and Static Files: HTML templates rendered via Jinja2, and static assets(CSS, JS),
  • Requirements: All dependencies listed in requirements.txt.
  • Configuration: Environment variables such as NEWS_API_KEY, which is handled securely using a .env file.
  • Database Schema: The structure defined by SQLAlchemy and managed via Flask-Migrate.
  • Version Metadata: Stored in version.py, injected in Flask config (app.config['VERSION']), rendered in frontend ( footer).
  • Dev Scripts: Makefile and setup.ps1 for local install, tests, and run automation.
  • Advanced Tests: test_adv.py for validating user flows like register, login, and stock search.
  • Packaging Metadata: Defined in setup.py using setuptools, includes name, version, and all required dependencies.

Deployment Target

AggFin platform is suitable for deployment on any Python-compatible platform, including:

  • Render
  • Heroku
  • Replit
  • Local server with Gunicorn + Nginx

Notes:

  • SQLite used for development and for production use, a PostgreSQL or MySQL backend is recommended.
  • HTTPS support configured on any public-facing deployment.
    • Project is now published to PyPI under name of aggfindata, allowing installation via pip install aggfindata.

How Are They Released?

Releases are now semi-automated using a GitHub Action CI/CD pipeline. When new version tag is pushed, project will be packaged using setup.py and automatically published to PyPI via twine. Version info is embedded in Flask app at runtime and shown in frontend.

Deployment & Packaging Strategy:

  • Application is versioned using version.py
  • Version defined in version.py, loaded in Flask using app.config['VERSION'],and accessible in templates via Jinja2.
  • Accessible within templates and rendered in the UI (AggFin v)
  • GitHub & Release workflow located in .github/workflows/pypi-deploy.yml
  • Displayed dynamically on the frontend for future development (footer home.html)
  • Each release is tagged using Semantic Versioning (SemVer) format
  • Packaged using setup.py, then published to PyPI using GitHub Actions
  • Footer in home.html displays version dynamically (AggFin v1.0.0)
  • Local automation uses Makefile and setup.ps1
  • setup.py uses find_packages(), install_requires, and classifiers to build a standard-compliant Python package

Configuration Steps

  1. Clone the repository: 
    git clone https://github.com/unibo-dtm-se-2324-AggFinData/artifact.git
  2. Install dependencies: 
    pip install -r requirements.txt
  3. Set environment variables (manually or via .env): 
    FLASK_APP=run.py
FLASK_ENV=production
NEWS_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
  4. Run the app: 
    flask run
  5. Browser access explanation: 
     Once the server is running, open your browser and go to:
 http://localhost:5000/
  6. How to stop the server: 
     Press `CTRL+C` in the terminal to stop the Flask server.
  7. How to deactivate the virtualenv: 
     deactivate

Choice of the License

No binary or container artefacts (e.g., Docker images or compiled packages) released separately, so no additional license isadded for artefacts. All artefacts are based on project main license.

code is licensed under MIT License, specified in LICENSE.txt.

Why this license:

  • short and simple
  • allows anyone to use, modify, and distribute code
  • proper for academic and open-source projects
  • perfect for reuse while protecting author

Choice of the Versioning Schema

Project now follows Semantic Versioning (SemVer) with real version tags and PyPI packaging. Current version defined in version.py and used consistently across packaging, app config, and UI display.

Under this versioning scheme, each release will be identified using three numbers:

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
  • Example: Release v1.0.0 marked first published version on PyPI.
  • MAJOR increased when big changes that break compatibility is adopted, for instance, replacing database system or changing authentication process
  • MINOR is for new features, like a stock chart, which does not affect what already works.
  • PATCH is for smaller updates, bug fixes, UI adjustments, or minor backend changes that don’t change how users interact with app.