Colossus

Abstract

1. Introduction

Self-hosted email marketing solution. Compatible with any SMTP email service.

2. Objective

Self-hosted email marketing solution

This project demonstrates how Python, Django can be applied to a real-world Digital Marketing & SEO problem.

3. Key Features / Modules

• Create and manage multiple mailing lists;
• Import lists from other providers (csv files or paste email addresses);
• Create reusable email templates;
• Customize sign up pages (subscribe, unsubscribe, thank you page, etc.);
• Default double opt-in for sign ups;
• Schedule email campaign to send on a specific date and time;
• Track email opens and clicks;
• Change link URL after email is sent;
• Reports with geolocation;
• Compatible with Mailgun, SendGrid, Mandrill, or any other SMTP email service.

4. Technology Stack

• Python 3.6
• Django 2.1
• PostgreSQL 10
• Celery 4.2
• RabbitMQ 3.7
• Bootstrap 4
• jQuery 3.3

5. System Requirements

General requirements for this technology stack — check the README for exact versions.

• Python 3.8 or later
• pip / virtualenv for dependencies
• VS Code, PyCharm or Jupyter Notebook
• Git (to clone the repository)

6. Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/vitorfs/colossus.git
cd colossus

git clone git@github.com:vitorfs/colossus.git

pip install -r requirements/development.txt

python manage.py migrate

python manage.py runserver

Full setup instructions are in the project README.

7. Future Enhancements

Suggested extensions you can add to make this your own project.

• Export reports to Google Sheets or PDF
• Schedule weekly automated reports
• Add competitor comparison

8. Viva / Review Questions

Common questions examiners ask for projects in this domain.

1. Which marketing or SEO problem does this tool solve?
2. Which data sources or APIs does it use (Search Console, Analytics, social platforms)?
3. Which metrics or KPIs does it report and how are they calculated?
4. How could the output help a business make decisions?
5. How would you schedule it to run automatically?

9. Source Code & License

This project is developed by vitorfs and published on GitHub under the MIT License. Please follow the license terms and credit the original author when you use or modify this code.