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The Blue List

https://www.mybluelist.org

A privacy-focused web application helping users make informed decisions about businesses, online security, home safety, and relocation options for the years ahead.

Overview

The Blue List is an open-source platform providing resources and tools across four key areas:

  1. Ethical Business Directory: Track political donations and find ethical alternatives
  2. Home Safety Guide: Access personalized safety and preparedness recommendations
  3. Online Security Center: Get customized digital security checklists and guides
  4. Relocation Resources: Explore international relocation options and requirements

Features

Ethical Business Directory

  • Search companies by name or category
  • View political donation history and percentages
  • Find ethical alternatives in the same business category
  • Location-based searching without tracking
  • Private and secure - no user location data stored

Home Safety Guide

  • Downloadable general safety checklists
  • Personalized recommendations based on:
    • Household size
    • Pets
    • Living space
    • Climate considerations
    • Medical requirements
  • Focus on food safety, water access, and medical care

Online Security Center

  • Comprehensive security assessments
  • Customized security checklists
  • Recommendations for:
    • Encrypted communications
    • Secure browsers
    • VPN configuration
    • Network security
    • Data protection

Relocation Resources

  • Country guides for US expats
  • Interactive questionnaires for personalized recommendations
  • Detailed checklists covering:
    • Documentation requirements
    • Visa applications
    • Cost of living estimates
    • Employment opportunities
    • Preparation timelines

Privacy & Security

  • No user tracking
  • No location data collection
  • No personal data storage
    • A valid email address is required to create an account, but is deleted after first login.
  • Open-source for transparency

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.11+
  • PostgreSQL 16+
  • Node.js & npm (for frontend assets)

PostgreSQL Setup

On macOS

# Using Homebrew
brew install postgresql@14
brew services start postgresql@14

# Create database and user
psql postgres
CREATE DATABASE thebluelist;
CREATE USER your_database_user WITH PASSWORD 'your_password';
ALTER ROLE your_database_user SET client_encoding TO 'utf8';
ALTER ROLE your_database_user SET default_transaction_isolation TO 'read committed';
ALTER ROLE your_database_user SET timezone TO 'UTC';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE thebluelist TO your_database_user;
\q

On Ubuntu/Debian

# Install PostgreSQL
sudo apt update
sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib

# Start PostgreSQL service
sudo service postgresql start

# Create database and user
sudo -u postgres psql
CREATE DATABASE thebluelist;
CREATE USER your_database_user WITH PASSWORD 'your_password';
ALTER ROLE your_database_user SET client_encoding TO 'utf8';
ALTER ROLE your_database_user SET default_transaction_isolation TO 'read committed';
ALTER ROLE your_database_user SET timezone TO 'UTC';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE thebluelist TO your_database_user;
\q

On Windows

  1. Download PostgreSQL installer from https://www.postgresql.org/download/windows/
  2. Run installer, noting down the password you set for the postgres user
  3. Open pgAdmin (installed with PostgreSQL)
  4. Create new database named 'thebluelist'
  5. Create new user 'your_database_user' with appropriate privileges

Local Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/thebluelist.git
cd thebluelist

# Create and activate virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Set up environment variables
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configurations

# Run migrations
python manage.py migrate

# Start development server
python manage.py runserver

Configuration

Key environment variables:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/dbname
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
DEBUG=True

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guidelines first.

Development Process

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch
  3. Make your changes
  4. Run tests
  5. Submit a pull request

Code Style

  • Follow PEP 8 for Python code
  • Use Black for code formatting
  • Include docstrings for all functions

Testing

# Run all tests
python manage.py test

# Run specific test suite
python manage.py test online_security

Deployment

The application is designed to be deployed on any Python-compatible hosting platform. Currently tested with:

  • Railway
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • AWS

Staying Updated

To ensure you have the latest version:

git pull origin main
pip install -r requirements.txt
python manage.py migrate

License

This project is licensed under the GNU AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE v3.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

Project Status

Currently in active development. See our project board for current progress and upcoming features.

Acknowledgments

  • All contributors and maintainers
  • Open source community
  • Privacy and security advocates