Creating a Django Project from Scratch

Django is a high-level web framework that enables rapid development of secure and maintainable websites. Built by experienced developers, Django takes care of much of the web development heavy lifting, allowing you to focus on your app without needing to reinvent the wheel. In this article, we will guide you through creating a Django project from scratch.

Installing Django
Creating a Django Project

Running the Server
Creating a Django Application
Understanding Django’s MVT Architecture

Django Views and URL Confs
Deploying on a Local Server
Frequently Asked Questions

1. Installing Django

Firstly, make sure you have Python installed on your computer. Django is a Python framework, so it’s a prerequisite.

To install Django, we will use Python’s package installer, pip. Run the command below in your command prompt to install Django:

pip install Django

2. Creating a Django Project

With Django installed we can now create our project. Navigate to where you want your project to live and run the following command:

django-admin startproject myproject

Replace “myproject” with whatever you want to name your project.

3. Running the Server

Now that the project is set up, move into your project directory and then we can start our server:

cd myproject
python manage.py runserver

This will start your project on your local machine. You can visit your site by entering http://127.0.0.1:8000/ in your web browser.

4. Creating a Django Application

A Django project can consist of many apps, each serving a unique purpose. For example, in a blog website, there might be an app for handling user authentication, another for handling blog posts etc.

To create an app, still in your project directory, run:

python manage.py startapp myapp

Replace “myapp” with the name of your app.

5. Understanding Django’s MVT Architecture

Django follows the MVT (Model-View-Template) architectural pattern. This is similar to the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern.

Model: It is the data access layer that handles data structure. Models literally model the data in your database. A model is a class in Python.

View: It is the user interface layer that handles user interaction. This is where requests get routed to and where the logic of your application goes.
Template: It is the presentation layer which handles user presentation. This is where you define what gets displayed to the user.

6. Django Views and URL Confs

In Django, views are Python functions that take a web request and return a web response. You can create a view by defining a function in your views.py file.

Example:

# Views.py

from django.http import HttpResponse

def index(request):
    return HttpResponse("Hello, world!")

This view will return a greeting of “Hello, world!”.

To hook this view up to a URL, you need to create a URL Conf (short for configuration) by mapping the URL to your view. This is done in the urls.py file.

Example:

# urls.py

from django.urls import path

from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    path('', views.index, name='index'),
]

This code creates a route at the root URL that maps to your index view.

7. Deploying on a Local Server

You can check your progress alongside your work. To do this, stop the server with Ctrl + c and then rerun your server:

python manage.py runserver

If everything was done correctly, you should see your “Hello, world!” message when you visit your site at http://127.0.0.1:8000/.

With this, you now know how to create a Django project from scratch. Django is very flexible and enables rapid development of reliable web applications. Remember, practice makes perfect, so keep practicing!

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What version of Python is required for Django?

A1: Python 3 (Python 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8 or 3.9) is required for Django.

Q2: Do I need to know Python to use Django?

A2: Yes, Django is a Python web framework so understanding Python is essential.

Q3: Can Django handle both frontend and backend?

A3: Yes, Django is a full-stack web development framework.

Q4: Is Django good for beginners?

A4: Yes, Django is beginner-friendly and has excellent documentation.

Q5: Can I use Django for mobile apps?

A5: Django is primarily used for web development, but yes, you can create APIs for your mobile applications using Django.

Creating A Django Project From Scratch