How to have persistent storage for a PYPI package

Question

I have a pypi package called collectiondbf which connects to an API with a user entered API key. It is used in a directory to download files like so:

python -m collectiondbf [myargumentshere..]

I know this should be basic knowledge, but I'm really stuck on the question:

How can I save the keys users give me in a meaningful way so that they do not have to enter them every time?

I would like to use the following solution using a config.json file, but how would I know the location of this file if my package will be moving directories?

Here is how I would like to user it but obviously it won't work since the working directory will change

import json
if user_inputed_keys:
    with open('config.json', 'w') as f:
        json.dump({'api_key': api_key}, f)

Answer 1

Most common operating systems have the concept of an application directory that belongs to every user who has an account on the system. This directory allows said user to create and read, for example, config files and settings.

So, all you need to do is make a list of all distros that you want to support, find out where they like to put user application files, and have a big old if..elif..else chain to open the appropriate directory.

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Or use appdirs, which does exactly that already:

from pathlib import Path
import json
import appdirs

CONFIG_DIR = Path(appdirs.user_config_dir(appname='collectiondbf'))  # magic
CONFIG_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

config = CONFIG_DIR / 'config.json'
if not config.exists():
  with config.open('w') as f:
    json.dumps(get_key_from_user(), f)
with config.open('r') as f:
  keys = json.load(f)  # now 'keys' can safely be imported from this module