SBOLExplorer is in Debug Mode

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In start.sh, export FLASK_ENV=development

Security vulnerabilities:

Debug mode exposes sensitive information about your application, including stack traces and environment variables.
It allows arbitrary code execution through the Werkzeug debugger, which can be exploited by attackers.

Performance impact:

Debug mode disables some optimizations, potentially slowing down your application.
It reloads the application on every code change, which is unnecessary and resource-intensive in production.

Stability issues:

The auto-reloader can cause unexpected behavior or crashes in a production environment.

Resource consumption:

Debug mode may consume more memory and CPU resources due to additional logging and the lack of optimizations.

Caching problems:

Some features like template caching might be disabled, affecting performance.

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Running Flask in production mode requires a different setup than development mode to ensure your application is secure, performant, and scalable. Flask's built-in development server (app.run()) is not suitable for production because it is not designed to handle production workloads. Instead, you should use a production-grade WSGI server.

Steps to Run Flask in Production Mode:

1. Use a Production WSGI Server:
   Common WSGI Servers:
   Gunicorn (commonly used for Flask)
   uWSGI
   mod_wsgi (for Apache)
   These servers can efficiently serve Flask applications and are designed to handle production traffic.

2. Install a WSGI Server:
   Install gunicorn using pip:
   bash
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   pip install gunicorn

3. Run the Flask Application with Gunicorn:
   Navigate to your Flask application's directory and run:
   bash
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   gunicorn -w 4 -b 0.0.0.0:8000 yourapp:app
   -w 4: This option specifies the number of worker processes (4 in this case). Adjust this based on your server's CPU cores.
   -b 0.0.0.0:8000: This option binds the server to all IP addresses on port 8000. You can change the port as needed.
   yourapp:app: Replace yourapp with the name of your Python file (minus the .py extension) and app with the Flask app variable.

4. Behind a Reverse Proxy (Optional but Recommended):
   Use Nginx or Apache as a reverse proxy in front of Gunicorn.
   The reverse proxy can handle tasks like load balancing, SSL termination, and serving static files.
   Example Nginx Configuration:

nginx
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server {
listen 80;
server_name yourdomain.com;

location / {
    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}

location /static/ {
    alias /path/to/your/static/files/;
}

}
Replace yourdomain.com with your domain name and /path/to/your/static/files/ with the actual path to your static files.
5. Environment Variables:
Ensure that the FLASK_ENV environment variable is set to production:
bash
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export FLASK_ENV=production
This can also be set in a .env file or through your deployment configuration.
6. Secure Your Application:
Use HTTPS: Serve your application over HTTPS by configuring SSL certificates in your reverse proxy (Nginx, Apache, etc.).
Set DEBUG = False: Ensure the DEBUG configuration is set to False to prevent detailed error pages from being shown to end users.
Use Strong Secrets: Ensure that SECRET_KEY and other sensitive configuration values are set securely.