Installation¶

ChaCC API can be installed from PyPI, from source, or through Docker. SQLite database file name and path can be customized with SQLITE_DATABASE_NAME and SQLITE_DATABASE_PATH. By default the database file chaccapi.db is created in the current working directory.

Prerequisites¶

Python 3.10 or newer
pip
Optional: PostgreSQL 15+ for production deployments
Optional: Redis when REDIS_ENABLED=true

Install from PyPI¶

Create project directory

mkdir my-project && cd my-project

Create virtual environment

python -m venv .venv

Activate virtual environment

Windows:

.\.venv\Scripts\activate

Linux/Mac:

source .venv/bin/activate

Start ChaCC Installation:

pip install chacc-api

Start the server:

chacc run server --dev

Open the browser and visit:

http://localhost:8085/

Successful ChaCC API startup

Install from source¶

This installation method is useful if you want to test the actual package and possibly updating the package itself for contribution.

git clone https://github.com/tnet-tech/chacc-api
cd chacc-api
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

Run the development server:

chacc run server --dev

Docker¶

Pull and run the image:

docker pull chacc-api:latest
docker run -d -p 8085:8085 chacc-api:latest

Use Docker Compose for a PostgreSQL-backed service:

docker compose -f deployment/docker/docker-compose.yml up -d

The compose file includes a ChaCC API service, a PostgreSQL service, health checks, and persistent volumes for PostgreSQL and module storage.

Development checklist¶

# Scaffold your module
chacc create my_module
# Run development server to see it in action
chacc run server --dev
# Build your module and distribute as you wish
chacc build plugins/my_module

Recommended development settings:

CHACC_DEV_MODE=true
ENABLE_PLUGIN_HOT_RELOAD=true
PLUGIN_AUTO_DISCOVERY=true
ENABLE_PLUGIN_DEPENDENCY_RESOLUTION=true

Production checklist¶

CHACC_DEV_MODE=false
ENABLE_PLUGIN_HOT_RELOAD=false
PLUGIN_AUTO_DISCOVERY=false
ENABLE_PLUGIN_DEPENDENCY_RESOLUTION=false
DATABASE_ENGINE=postgresql
SECRET_KEY=<random 32+ character secret>

Production startup validates these settings and refuses to start if required configuration is missing or insecure.