How can I modify Procfile to run Gunicorn process in a non-standard folder on Heroku?
PythonDjangoHerokuWsgiGunicornPython Problem Overview
I'm new to heroku and gunicorn so I'm not sure how this works. But I've done some searching and I think I'm close to deploying my Django app (1.5.1). So I know I need a Procfile which has
web: gunicorn app.wsgi
Because my directories are a bit different. I can't run gunicorn in the root directory
app_project
requirements/
contributors/
app/
app/
settings/
wsgi.py
# Normally Procfile goes here
Procfile
Normally app/ would be the root directory, but I decided to structure my folders this way to separate my django app from some other things. Since I have to put the Procfile in the root directory for heroku to recognize it, what should I put in the Procfile and/or what parameters should I place in the gunicorn command?
Note:
web: gunicorn app.wsgi # won't work because Procfile is in a directory above
# I also want to keep the directories as is
# I also don't want to create a secondary git inside the app folder just for heroku
web: gunicorn app.app.wsgi # won't work because I don't want to convert the folder into a python module
Python Solutions
Solution 1 - Python
Try:
web: gunicorn --pythonpath app app.wsgi
Solution 2 - Python
As @Graham Dumpleton stated in his answer, the OP's problem could be solved by modifying his Procfile to the following:
web: gunicorn --pythonpath app app.wsgi
Why this works:
- Remember, that the Procfile is simply used by Heroku to start processes. In this case, gunicorn processes.
- Gunicorn's
--pythonpath
argument allows you to dynamically attach a directory to the list of directories that the Python runtime searches for when do module look-ups. - By adding
--pythonpath app
to the gunicorn command, the interpreter was basically told 'look inside of the app directory for a package (also) called app which contains a module called wsgi.`
The generic names of the folders in the OP's question can obscure the syntax of the command, which is as follows:
gunicorn --pythonpath <directory_containing_package> <package>.<module>
More Info:
Gunicorn Documentation
Solution 3 - Python
I made a ugly hack for getting this working. So I'm going to post my answer, but I hope you guys can come up with a better solution
Procfile
web: sh ./app/run.sh
app_project/app/run.sh
#!/bin/bash
cd app
gunicorn app.wsgi
Solution 4 - Python
If your file is nested in folders, the following will make more sense.
Instead of adding the path to the PYTHONPATH environmental variable, instead I referenced it like you would reference modules in a package:
In my case, the app object was in a scriptC.py, inside folderB, which is inside the folderA.
web: gunicorn folderA.folderB.scriptC:app