utils.py

def get_database_config_variables(url):
    """
    Parse the Heroku `DATABASE_URL` into a dictionary.
    """
    # Remove the `postgres://` from the beginning of the string
    url = url.split("://")[1]
    # Split the remaining string into a list on the `@` character, which
    # separates the database credentials from the host info
    credentials_and_host_info = url.split("@")
    # Get the database credentials (`DATABASE_USER` and `DATABASE_PASSWORD`)
    # from the first item in the `credentials_and_host_info` list
    credentials = credentials_and_host_info[0].split(":")
    # Get the database `host_info` from the second item in the
    # `credentials_and_host_info` list, which is the `DATABASE_HOST`,
    # `DATABASE_PORT`, and `DATABASE_NAME`
    host_info = credentials_and_host_info[1].split(":")
    # Get the database host from the first item in the `host_info` list
    host = host_info[0]
    # Get the database port and name from the second item in the
    # `host_info` list
    port_and_name = host_info[1].split("/")
    # Get the database port from the first item in the `port_and_name` list
    port = port_and_name[0]
    # Get the database name from the second item in the `port_and_name` list
    name = port_and_name[1]
    # Return a dictionary with the database credentials and host info
    return {
        "DATABASE_USER": credentials[0],
        "DATABASE_PASSWORD": credentials[1],
        "DATABASE_HOST": host,
        "DATABASE_PORT": port,
        "DATABASE_NAME": name,
    }