I use python to develop code on my work laptop and then deploy to our server for automation purposes.
I just recently started using git and github through PyCharm in hopes of making the deployment process smoother.
My issue is that I have a config file (YAML) that uses different parameters respective to my build environment (laptop) and production (server). For example, the file path changes.
Is there a git practice that I could implement that when either pushing from my laptop or pulling from the server it will excluded changes to specific parts of a file?
I use .gitignore for files such as pyvenv.cfg but is there a way to do this within a file?
Another approach I thought of would be to utilize different branches for local and remote specific parameters...
For Example:
Local branch would contain local parameters and production branch would contain production parameters. In this case I would push 1st from my local to the local branch. Next I would make the necessary changes to the parameters for production, in my situation it is much easier to work on my laptop than through the server, then push to the production branch. However, I have a feeling this is against good practice or simply changes the use of branches.
Thank you.
Config files are also a common place to store credentials (eg : a login/pwd for the database, an API key for a web service ...) and it is generally a good idea to not store those in the repository.
A common practice is to store template files in the repo (eg : config.yml.sample), to not store the actual config file along with the code (even add it in .gitignore, if it is in a versioned directory), and add steps at deployment time to either set up the initial config file or update the existing one - those steps can be manual, or scripted. You can backup and version the config separately, if needed.
Another possibility is to take the elements that should be adapted from somewhere else (the environment for instance), and have some user: $APP_DB_USER entries in your config file. You should provision these entries on both your servers - eg : have an env.txt file on your local machine and a different one on your prod server.
What is the best way to manage client/server specific files with git?