KS Project Log 30/06/25

✅ QR Code Cloud Migration

• Replaced local static/qrcodes storage with Firebase Storage
  • Modified generate_qr_code in utils.py to upload directly to Firebase
  • Generates the QR code in memory, uploads it to Firebase, then returns a public URL
  • Stores this public URL in the qr_url column of the members table
• Updated the database:

  ALTER TABLE members CHANGE qr_path qr_url VARCHAR(200);
  

• Removed local QR image saving and ensured all code references now point to Firebase URLs

✅ Heroku Deployment Configuration

• Added the Firebase service account key as a base64-encoded environment variable:
  • FIREBASE_KEY_BASE64
  • FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET
• Removed any references to the local JSON secrets file to avoid missing file errors on Heroku
• Updated the code to decode the base64 key dynamically at runtime
• Verified with:

  heroku config
  

  to confirm the environment variables are correctly set

✅ Admin and Member Registration Adjustments

• Adjusted /register and /admin-add-member-page:
  • Both endpoints now store the qr_url returned from Firebase
  • Removed dependency on local file paths
• Confirmed that Postman test registrations succeed with the new Firebase URLs

✅ Database Consistency

• Verified that existing data is compatible after changing the column from qr_path to qr_url
• Tested member cards to ensure they correctly display the Firebase-hosted QR code

✅ Testing and Verification

• Used Postman to verify registration endpoints
• Confirmed QR codes upload to Firebase and the links are valid
• Tested admin dashboard QR listing and deletion
• Confirmed Heroku deployment boots without missing secret file errors

✅ Additional Notes

• Future improvements: consider adding image caching or CDN delivery for QR codes
• Evaluate access controls for the Firebase Storage rules for stricter member-only access
• Plan to refactor member detail view and improve styling consistency in the next sprint