A web application for sharing, uploading, and querying DESC and VMEC stellarator equilibrium data across universities and research institutions.
Built with Django. Developed by the Princeton University Plasma Control Group.
- Upload DESC equilibrium runs (ZIP + CSV) with associated device, configuration, and publication metadata
- Query the database with a flexible filter and output column builder — supports cross-table joins and SQL-style criteria
- Browse individual run details including embedded 3D Plotly visualisations, surface plots, and Boozer plots
- Download equilibrium files individually or in bulk for any query result
- Admin-approved user accounts — new registrations require approval before access is granted
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Backend | Django 5 (Python) |
| Database | SQLite (local dev) / PostgreSQL on AWS RDS |
| File storage | Local filesystem (local dev) / AWS S3 |
| WSGI server | Gunicorn (production) |
| Frontend | Vanilla JS + jQuery DataTables |
The dev-notes/ folder contains detailed documentation for common maintenance tasks:
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
dev-notes/local-development.md |
How to run the project locally for development |
dev-notes/aws-deployment.md |
Full AWS deployment and redeployment guide |
dev-notes/updating-database-schema.md |
How to add, rename, or remove columns and tables safely |
dev-notes/repository-structure.md |
File layout, key files explained, database table relationships |
dev-notes/query-system.md |
How the query page and SQL builder work internally |
dev-notes/management-commands.md |
How to run custom commands to update the database SQL |
Princeton University Plasma Control Group Yigit Gunsur Elmacioglu — yigit.elma@princeton.edu