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Django Installation

Django makes it easier to build better web apps more quickly and with less code.

-- djangoproject.com

The official Django website provides great resources for beginners to get up and running. But the package installer and virtual environment might confuse you.

  1. Install Python

    https://www.python.org/downloads/

  2. Install database (PostgreSQL)

    https://www.postgresql.org/

  3. Install pip

    pip is the package installer for Python. You can use pip to install packages from the Python Package Index (PyPI) and other indexes.

    pip is automatically installed with Python downloaded from Python.org.

  4. Install venv

    The venv module provides support for creating lightweight “virtual environments” with their own site directories. Each virtual environment has its own Python binary and can have its own independent set of installed Python packages in its site directories. Also known as virtualenv in Python 2.

    venv is automatically installed with Python downloaded from Python.org.

  5. Create virtual environment

    The following command will create a new virtual environment in the current directory. This virtual environment and all its related files and data will be stored in the .venv folder. You can create and name the venv whatever you like but .venv is fairly standard. 

    python -m venv .venv

    What is the difference between venv, pyvenv, pyenv, virtualenv, virtualenvwrapper, pipenv, etc?

    There are many different packages and virtual environment managers available. Each created to solve a unique issue or to solve it better/faster/more efficient than the other. For now you can safely ignore all of them and just use the standard shipped pip and venv.

    Tip

    Use a separate virtual environment for each project.

  6. Activate virtual environment

    To start using your newly created virtual environment you just have to run activate. 

    .venv\Scripts\activate

    If you have multiple environments you can run a specific environment by navigating to its activate file. 

    C:\dev\python\fungame\.venv\Scripts\activate

    Once activate, your command shell will be updated and include the name of your venv in parentheses. 

    C:\dev\python\fungame> .venv\Scripts\Activate
(.venv) PS C:\dev\python\fungame>

  7. Install Django

    Once your virtual environment is activated, you can use the command shell like you usually would. In this case we will install Django.

    python -m pip install Django

  8. Git clone repository

    At this point it is recommended to initiate and create your first git commit. This way you have a nice clean starting point in case anything goes wrong. For more info about git see the git notes.

  9. Install requirements

    python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

  10. Deactivate virtual environment when done

    deactivate
Last update: October 19, 2022
Created: October 5, 2022