Django Project – Complete Setup Guide

This document explains how to set up a Django project from scratch, including virtual environment, project creation, app configuration, static/media handling, and admin setup.

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1️⃣ Environment Setup

Create a virtual environment:

python -m venv .venv

Activate the virtual environment (Windows):

.venv\Scripts\activate

Install Django:

pip install django

Freeze dependencies (optional but recommended):

pip freeze > requirements.txt
# OR
pip install -r requirements.txt

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2️⃣ Create Django Project

Create a new Django project:

django-admin startproject Project_Name

Move into the project directory:

cd Project_Name

Run the development server:

python manage.py runserver

Open in browser:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/

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3️⃣ Create Admin (Superuser)

Create an admin user:

python manage.py createsuperuser

Provide the following details:

• Username
• Email address
• Password

Access Django Admin Panel:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/

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4️⃣ Static & Media Configuration

settings.py

import os

STATIC_URL = 'static/'
STATICFILES_DIRS = [os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static')]

MEDIA_URL = '/media/'
MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'media')

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5️⃣ Project URL Configuration

Project_Name/urls.py

from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path,include
from django.conf import settings
from django.conf.urls.static import static

urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
    # path('your_app_name/',include('App_Name_urls') ),
] + static(settings.MEDIA_URL, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT)

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6️⃣ Create Django App

Create an app inside the project:

python manage.py startapp App_Name

Inside the app folder, ensure these files exist:

• views.py
• urls.py

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7️⃣ App URLs Configuration

App_Name/urls.py

from django.urls import path
from . import views

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

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8️⃣ Views Setup

App_Name/views.py

from django.shortcuts import render

# Create your views here
def index(request):
    return render(request, 'index.html')

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9️⃣ Register App in Settings

settings.py

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',

    'App_Name',    <--
]

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🔟 Templates Configuration

Create a templates folder at project root level.

settings.py

TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'DIRS': [os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'templates')],
        'APP_DIRS': True,
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.debug',
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
            ],
        },
    },
]

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Links to setup Django:

https://docs.chaicode.com/youtube/chai-aur-django/welcome/

link: https://docs.chaicode.com/youtube/chai-aur-django/welcome/