Python Pastebin

A simple, self-hosted pastebin web application built with Flask.
Supports rate limiting, CSRF protection, encrypted contents and automatic cleanup of old pastes.

pastebin_demo.webm

Features

• Create and share text pastes with unique URLs
• View raw paste content
• Rate limiting per IP address
• CSRF protection for POST requests
• Encrypted pastes
• Automatic deletion of pastes older than (user defined)
• Burn after reading
• Configurable via environment variables
• Runs locally or in Docker

Getting Started

Local Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/teklynk/python_paste.git
   cd python_paste

2. Create a virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure environment variables:

   • Rename sample.env to .env
   • Edit .env and set your SECRET_KEY and ALLOWED_DOMAIN

5. Run the application:

   python3 python_paste.py

6. Deactivate the virtual environment (optional):

   deactivate

Docker Setup

1. Configure environment variables:

   • Rename sample.docker-compose.yml to docker-compose.yml
   • Edit docker-compose.yml and set your SECRET_KEY, ALLOWED_DOMAIN and ENCRYPTION_KEY under the environment section

2. Build and run the container:

   docker-compose up --build

Notes

• On first run, the app will generated a ENCRYPTION_KEY and save it to the .env if it does not already exist. Fernet key must be 32 url-safe base64-encoded bytes.
• If running locally, ensure .env is present and configured. ENCRYPTION_KEY key must be 32 url-safe base64-encoded bytes.
• If using Docker, configure environment variables in docker-compose.yml. Do not use the .env file with docker. The .env is only needed when running the app locally with python3 python_paste.py.
• Pastes older than 90 days are deleted automatically if not defined in PASTEBIN_EXPIRATION_DAYS.
• BURN_AFTER_READING_VIEWS is set to 3 views by default if not defined in .env or docker-compose.yml.
• The app is designed to work behind a reverse proxy (e.g., Nginx, Cloudflare) and supports real client IP detection.