undef1nd / self-repl-repo

This is the repository that recreates itself in the User's profile.

Self-Replicating Repository

This repository contains the Python code that forks itself into User's GitHub profile.

Flow Overview

1. User clicks on the link of the deployed application. For example, https://self-repl-repo.herokuapp.com/
2. User is redirected to GitHub site to allow access to his/her public profile for the application.
3. Application forks its own repository into User's GitHub profile.

Installation

The code can be run either locally or deployed anywhere else. Instructions for deployment to Heroku can be found below.

Installation Prerequisites

No matter what type of installation is chosen you need to register your new application at GitHub.

1. Go to Register a new OAuth application.
2. Give your app some meaningful Application name. Application description is optional.
3. In Homepage URL specify the one for your application: http://127.0.0.1:5000 if you deploy locally or https://[your_app_name].herokuapp.com/ for Heroku.
4. In Authorization Callback URL specify http://127.0.0.1:5000/callback/github for localhost or https://[your_app_name].herokuapp.com/callback/github for Heroku.
5. Save Client ID and Client Secret as they are needed in the next steps.

You can change Homepage and Authorization Callback URLs any time.

Local Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/undef1nd/self-replicating-repository.git && cd self-replicating-repository

2. Create a separate Python environment for application and install required modules:

pip3 install virtualenv
virtualenv app_env
source app_env/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Set environment variables with your own values:

export CLIENT_ID=your_github_client_id
export CLIENT_SECRET=your_github_client_secret
export APP_SECRET=your_app_secret_id

For CLIENT_ID and CLIENT_SECRET values paste those obtained from GitHub in Installation Prerequisites section.

APP_SECRET is the secret key for Flask app that should not be exposed. You can use the output of the below snippet to generate key or any other phrase of your choice:

import os
os.urandom(24)

4. This should not be done in prod! Normally OAuth2 is not used over HTTP, but it can be useful for local testing. In order to achieve that either set environment variable:

export OAUTHLIB_INSECURE_TRANSPORT=1

or uncomment the following line in repl_app.py file:

 os.environ['OAUTHLIB_INSECURE_TRANSPORT'] = '1'

5. Finally run the application:

python repl_app.py

6. Go to http://127.0.0.1:5000. If everything is done correctly you get the repository forked to your profile. Congrats!

Heroku Installation

1. Login to Heroku and go create new app
2. Give the name to your app in App name field.
3. On the next page choose the Deployment method that works best for you.
4. On Activity tab expand Config Vars and set environment variables with your own values. Lookup their meaning in Local Installation section

CLIENT_ID=your_github_client_id
CLIENT_SECRET=your_github_client_secret
APP_SECRET=your_app_secret_id

5. Click on Open app in the top right corner of Heroku dashboard to check that you can successfully fork the repository. All done!