Django is a popular web framework written in Python that makes it easy to build powerful web applications quickly. This step-by-step guide will help you set up your development environment and create your first Django project. Let’s dive right into it!
Step 1: Install Python
Ensure that you have Python installed on your system. If you haven’t installed it yet, head over to the official Python website and download the latest version.
Step 2: Check Python Version
After installing, verify the installation and check the version of Python using this command in your terminal:
python --version
If Python is successfully installed, it will display the version number, e.g., Python 3.8.5.
Step 3: Create a Virtual Environment
Using a virtual environment is a good practice to manage dependencies for different projects. Here’s how you can create a virtual environment named django-venv:
python -m venv django-venv
After running this command, a folder named django-venv will be created in your project directory.
Step 4: Navigate to the Virtual Environment Folder
Change your current directory to the newly created virtual environment:
cd django-venv
Step 5: Activate the Virtual Environment
To start using your virtual environment, activate it by navigating to the Scripts folder and using the activate command:
For Windows:
cd Scripts
activate
For macOS/Linux:
source bin/activate
After activation, your terminal will display the virtual environment name in parentheses, like this:
(django-venv) c:\Users\YourName\Desktop\django-venv\Scripts>
To deactivate the virtual environment later, just use the command:
deactivate
Step 6: Install Django in the Virtual Environment
Now that your virtual environment is activated, you should install Django within it. Use this command:
(django-venv) python -m pip install django
Step 7: Verify Django Installation
To ensure that Django was installed successfully, check the Django version with:
(django-venv) python -m django --version
You should see the installed Django version, such as 3.2.7.
Creating a Django Project
Once the virtual environment is set up and Django is installed, let’s create a new Django project.
Step 8: Create a New Django Project
Navigate to the location where you want to create your project and run:
(django-venv) django-admin startproject myfirstproject
This command will create a new Django project named myfirstproject. The project structure should look like this:
myfirstproject/
├── manage.py
└── myfirstproject/
├── __init__.py
├── settings.py
├── urls.py
└── wsgi.py
Step 9: Navigate to Your Project Folder
Change your directory to the newly created project folder:
cd myfirstproject
Step 10: Run the Development Server
Now that your Django project is set up, let’s run the development server to check if everything is working:
(django-venv) python manage.py runserver
Open your browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:8000/. You should see the Django welcome page!
Additional Steps: Adding HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Files
To add static files (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) to your Django project:
Step 11: Create a Templates Folder
Create a folder named templates in your project directory:
myfirstproject/
└── templates/
Step 12: Create an index.html File
Inside the templates folder, create an index.html file and add your HTML content:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Welcome to Django</title>
<style>
body {
background-color: #f4f4f4;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
text-align: center;
padding-top: 50px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome to Your First Django Project</h1>
</body>
</html>
Step 13: Update views.py
In the myfirstproject folder, update the views.py file to render the index.html file. If views.py does not exist, create it:
from django.shortcuts import render
def home(request):
return render(request, 'index.html')
Step 14: Update urls.py
In the urls.py file, map the URL to the new view:
from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path
from . import views
urlpatterns = [
path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
path('', views.home, name='home'),
]
Step 15: Restart Your Server
Restart your server to apply the changes:
(django-venv) python manage.py runserver
Now, navigate to http://127.0.0.1:8000/, and you should see your custom HTML page!
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up a Django project, created a virtual environment, and configured a basic HTML file to display on your website. Keep experimenting with Django to explore its powerful features.
Happy coding! 
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