Backend Quick Start

Get the backend running locally. Pick one of the two paths below. For deploying to a server, see DEPLOYMENT.md.

Prerequisites

Docker + Compose (for Option A), or Python 3.13 + Redis (for Option B)
One LLM provider key: OPENAI_API_KEY, CLAUDE_API_KEY, or GEMINI_API_KEY

git clone https://github.com/cmudco/dare-backend.git
cd dare-backend

Option A — Docker (whole stack in one command)

Brings up the API, worker, Postgres, Redis, and Weaviate together. Easiest way to start.

cp .example.env .env
# Edit .env — at minimum set DJANGO_SECRET_KEY and one provider key.

docker compose up --build -d
docker compose exec web python manage.py createsuperuser

# Collect static files so the Django admin renders with its CSS/JS.
docker compose exec web python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

curl http://localhost:8000/api/health/

Option B — Local Python (Django in a venv)

Runs the Django process directly. Redis must be running for background jobs and Socket.IO.

cp .example.env .env
python3.13 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements/local.txt
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py createsuperuser

# Collect static files. Required for the admin panel's CSS/JS: DARE runs on
# uvicorn/ASGI, which — unlike `runserver` — does not serve static files
# automatically, so the admin looks unstyled until you run this.
python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

uvicorn dare.asgi:application --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000 --reload

In a second terminal, start a background worker:

source .venv/bin/activate
OBJC_DISABLE_INITIALIZE_FORK_SAFETY=YES python -Wd manage.py rqworker default -v 3

Registration is gated by an access code. Log in to the admin panel at http://localhost:8000/admin/ with the superuser you just created, and create an access code — then anyone can use that code to register their own account.

The API is at http://localhost:8000/; Swagger UI at /api/docs/. Full variable reference: docs/configuration.md.

Prerequisites

Option A — Docker (whole stack in one command)

Option B — Local Python (Django in a venv)

Let people create accounts

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