Dropbox

A Django files storage using Dropbox as a backend via the official Dropbox SDK for Python. Currently only v2 of the API is supported.

Installation

Before you start configuration, you will need to install the SDK which can be done for you automatically by doing:

pip install django-storages[dropbox]

Configuration & Settings

Django 4.2 changed the way file storage objects are configured. In particular, it made it easier to independently configure storage backends and add additional ones. To configure multiple storage objects pre Django 4.2 required subclassing the backend because the settings were global, now you pass them under the key OPTIONS. For example, to save media files to Dropbox on Django >= 4.2 you’d define:

STORAGES = {
    "default": {
        "BACKEND": "storages.backends.dropbox.DropboxStorage",
        "OPTIONS": {
          ...your_options_here
        },
    },
}

On Django < 4.2 you’d instead define:

DEFAULT_FILE_STORAGE = "storages.backends.dropbox.DropboxStorage"

To put static files on Dropbox via collectstatic on Django >= 4.2 you’d include the staticfiles key (at the same level as default above inside of the STORAGES dictionary while on Django < 4.2 you’d instead define:

STATICFILES_STORAGE = "storages.backends.dropbox.DropboxStorage"

The settings documented in the following sections include both the key for OPTIONS (and subclassing) as well as the global value. Given the significant improvements provided by the new API, migration is strongly encouraged.

Authentication

Two methods of authentication are supported:

1. Using an access token
2. Using a refresh token with an app key and secret

Dropbox has recently introduced short-lived access tokens only, and does not seem to allow new apps to generate access tokens that do not expire. Short-lived access tokens can be indentified by their prefix (short-lived access tokens start with 'sl.').

You can manually obtain the refresh token by following the instructions below using APP_KEY and APP_SECRET.

The relevant settings which can all be obtained by following the instructions in the tutorial:

1. oauth2_access_token or DROPBOX_OAUTH2_TOKEN
2. oauth2_refresh_token or DROPBOX_OAUTH2_REFRESH_TOKEN
3. app_secret or DROPBOX_APP_SECRET
4. app_key or DROPBOX_APP_KEY

The refresh token can be obtained using the commandline-oauth.py example from the Dropbox SDK for Python.

Get AUTHORIZATION_CODE

Using your APP_KEY follow the link:

https://www.dropbox.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=APP_KEY&token_access_type=offline&response_type=code

It will give you AUTHORIZATION_CODE.

Obtain the refresh token

Usinh your APP_KEY, APP_SECRET and AUTHORIZATION_KEY obtain the refresh token.

curl -u APP_KEY:APP_SECRET \
-d "code=AUTHORIZATION_CODE&grant_type=authorization_code" \
-H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
-X POST "https://api.dropboxapi.com/oauth2/token"

The response would be:

{
   "access_token": "sl.************************",
   "token_type": "bearer",
   "expires_in": 14400,
   "refresh_token": "************************", <-- your REFRESH_TOKEN
   "scope": <SCOPES>,
   "uid": "************************",
   "account_id": "dbid:************************"
}

Settings

root_path or DROPBOX_ROOT_PATH

Default: '/'

Path which will prefix all uploaded files. Must begin with a /.

timeout or DROPBOX_TIMEOUT

Default: 100

Timeout in seconds for requests to the API. If None, the client will wait forever. The default value matches the SDK at the time of this writing.

write_mode or DROPBOX_WRITE_MODE

Default: 'add'

Sets the Dropbox WriteMode strategy. Read more in the official docs.