Gate Pass Backend System

A comprehensive backend solution designed for educational institutions to digitize and automate the student leave request and gate pass issuance process. Built with modern Django practices, this system handles multi-level approval workflows, real-time notifications, and secure role-based access control.

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🚀 Key Features

🔐 Authentication & Roles

• JWT Authentication: Secure stateless authentication using djangorestframework-simplejwt.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Distinct permissions for Students, Department HODs, Hostel Wardens, and Admins.
• Custom User Models: Extended user profiles handling specific attributes for students (parents' contact, room numbers) and staff.

📝 Leave Management Workflow

• Digital Leave Requests: Students can apply for leave with dates and reasons.
• Multi-Stage Approval:
  1. HOD Approval: Academic clearance from the department.
  2. Warden/Admin Approval: Residential clearance.
• Status Tracking: Real-time tracking of application status (Pending, Approved, Rejected).

🎟️ Gate Pass Generation

• Automated Issuance: System automatically generates a GatePass entry upon final approval.
• Unique Security Codes: Each pass includes a unique tracking code for security verification at the gate.

🔔 Notifications

• Background Services: Dedicated notifications app to handle alerts.
• Status Updates: Users are notified immediately when their leave status changes.

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🛠️ Technical Stack

Component	Technology
Framework	Django 5.2
API	Django REST Framework (DRF) 3.16
Database	PostgreSQL (via psycopg3)
Server	Uvicorn (ASGI) / Gunicorn (WSGI)
Package Manager	uv
Documentation	OpenAPI 3.0 via drf-spectacular

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📂 Project Architecture

├── api/                 # Global API configurations
├── apps/                # Modular Django Apps
│   ├── core/            # Shared logic (Hostel/Department models)
│   ├── leave/           # Leave Request & Gate Pass business logic
│   ├── notifications/   # Background notification services
│   └── users/           # Custom User, Student, and Staff models
├── config/              # Project settings (ASGI/WSGI)
└── staticfiles/         # Static assets for Admin panel

⚙️ Installation & Setup

This project uses uv for fast and reliable dependency management.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.14+
• PostgreSQL
• uv installed

1. Clone the Repository

git clone [https://github.com/yourusername/gate-pass-backend.git](https://github.com/yourusername/gate-pass-backend.git)
cd gate-pass-backend

2. Environment Configuration

 
# Django core
SECRET_KEY=some-secret-key
DEBUG=True

# Hosts
ALLOWED_HOSTS=
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS=
CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=

# JWT timing (minutes)
ACCESS_TOKEN_LIFETIME=60
REFRESH_TOKEN_LIFETIME=7

DB_NAME=your database name 
DB_USER=postgres
DB_PASSWORD=password
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
EMAIL_APP_PASSWORD=

3. Install Dependencies

uv sync

Markdown

⚙️ Installation & Setup

This project uses uv for fast and reliable dependency management.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.14+
• PostgreSQL
• uv installed

1. Clone the Repository

git clone [https://github.com/yourusername/gate-pass-backend.git](https://github.com/yourusername/gate-pass-backend.git)
cd gate-pass-backend

3. Install Dependencies

uv sync

4. Database Setup

Apply migrations to set up the schema:

uv run manage.py migrate

Create a superuser for dashboard access:

uv run manage.py createsuperuser

5. Run the Server

For development

uv run python manage.py runserver 

📖 API Documentation

The project includes auto-generated, interactive API documentation.

    Swagger UI: http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/docs/

    Redoc: http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/schema/redoc/

    OpenAPI Schema: http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/schema/

🤝 Contributing

Fork the repository.

Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature).

Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature').

Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature).

Open a Pull Request.