# Product Context: Bitpoll Nix Flake ## Why This Project Exists ### Problem Statement Bitpoll is a valuable Django-based web application for scheduling meetings and conducting polls, but it lacks proper packaging for the Nix ecosystem. NixOS users and organizations wanting to deploy Bitpoll face several challenges: 1. **Complex Manual Setup**: Installing Bitpoll requires manual dependency management and configuration 2. **Reproducibility Issues**: Traditional deployment methods don't guarantee consistent environments 3. **Security Concerns**: Manual installations often lack proper security hardening 4. **Maintenance Overhead**: Updates and system management become complex without proper packaging ### Solution Approach This Nix flake solves these problems by providing: - **Declarative Configuration**: Everything defined in Nix expressions - **Reproducible Builds**: Pinned dependencies ensure consistent deployments - **Security by Default**: Proper user isolation and systemd hardening - **Easy Deployment**: Single-command installation and updates ## What Problems It Solves ### For System Administrators - **Simplified Deployment**: Deploy Bitpoll with a single NixOS configuration - **Consistent Environments**: Development, staging, and production environments are identical - **Security Hardening**: Built-in security measures without manual configuration - **Easy Updates**: Atomic updates and rollbacks through NixOS ### For Developers - **Development Environment**: Instant development setup with `nix develop` - **Testing**: Easy testing of different configurations - **Contribution**: Clear packaging structure for contributing improvements ### For Organizations - **Compliance**: Reproducible deployments aid in compliance and auditing - **Reliability**: Reduced deployment failures through declarative configuration - **Scalability**: Easy replication across multiple servers ## How It Should Work ### User Experience Goals #### Simple Installation ```bash # Add to NixOS configuration services.bitpoll.enable = true; # Rebuild system sudo nixos-rebuild switch ``` #### Flexible Configuration ```nix services.bitpoll = { enable = true; port = 8080; allowedHosts = [ "bitpoll.company.com" ]; secretKeyFile = "/etc/bitpoll/secret"; }; ``` #### Development Workflow ```bash # Clone and develop git clone nix develop # Instant development environment ready ``` ### Expected Behavior #### Production Deployment - Service starts automatically on boot - Proper logging through systemd - Graceful handling of failures and restarts - Secure file permissions and user isolation - Database migrations run automatically #### Development Environment - All dependencies available immediately - Django management commands work out of the box - Hot reloading for development - Easy testing of configuration changes #### Data Management - All data stored in `/var/lib/bitpoll` - Proper backup and restore capabilities - Database migrations handled automatically - Static files served efficiently ## Target Users ### Primary Users - **NixOS System Administrators**: Managing Bitpoll deployments - **DevOps Engineers**: Implementing CI/CD for Bitpoll - **Organizations**: Deploying internal polling/scheduling systems ### Secondary Users - **Nix Package Maintainers**: Contributing to the ecosystem - **Bitpoll Contributors**: Testing and developing Bitpoll itself - **Security Teams**: Auditing and hardening deployments ## Success Metrics ### Technical Metrics - Zero-downtime deployments - Sub-minute startup times - Successful automatic migrations - No security vulnerabilities in default configuration ### User Experience Metrics - Single-command deployment success - Clear error messages for misconfigurations - Comprehensive documentation coverage - Active community adoption ### Operational Metrics - Reliable service uptime - Efficient resource utilization - Successful backup/restore operations - Easy troubleshooting and debugging