Django is a powerful, high-level web framework for the Python programming language. It encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. If you’re interested in learning how to build web applications using Django, this guide will help you create a simple web app from scratch. By the end of this article, you’ll have a basic understanding of how Django works and the knowledge to build more complex applications.

Prerequisites

Before diving into Django, make sure you have a basic understanding of Python. Additionally, you’ll need to have Python installed on your machine. You can download Python from the official Python website if it’s not already installed.

Setting Up Your Environment

To get started with Django, you’ll need to set up your development environment. This involves installing Django and creating a virtual environment.

Installing Django

pip install django

After installing Django, confirm the installation by typing the following command:

django-admin --version

Creating a Virtual Environment

A virtual environment is a self-contained directory that contains a Python installation for a particular version of Python, plus a number of additional packages that you can install. Creating a virtual environment is considered best practice as it keeps dependencies required by different projects in separate places.

    python -m venv myenv

    source myenv/bin/activate  # On Unix/Mac

    myenv\Scripts\activate  # On Windows

    

Starting a New Django Project

With Django installed and your virtual environment activated, you can start a new project. In Django, a project is a collection of configuration and apps for a particular website. Let’s create a new project called “myfirstproject”.

django-admin startproject myfirstproject

This command creates a “myfirstproject” directory with the following structure:

    myfirstproject/

        manage.py

        myfirstproject/

            __init__.py

            settings.py

            urls.py

            asgi.py

            wsgi.py

    

The manage.py file is a command-line utility that lets you interact with your project. The second “myfirstproject” directory is the actual Python package for your project. It’s where settings, URLs, and WSGI configurations are stored.

Running the Development Server

Django comes with a lightweight web server for development and testing purposes. To start it, navigate to the “myfirstproject” directory containing the manage.py file and run:

python manage.py runserver

You should see output indicating the server is running, typically on http://127.0.0.1:8000/. Open this URL in your web browser, and you’ll see the Django welcome page.

Creating a New App

A Django app is a web application that does something – e.g., a blog, a database of public records, or a simple poll app. Create a new app named “hello” inside your project:

python manage.py startapp hello

This command creates a new directory called “hello” with the following basic structure:

    hello/

        migrations/

        __init__.py

        admin.py

        apps.py

        models.py

        tests.py

        views.py

    

Writing Your First View

In Django, a view is a Python function that receives a web request and returns a web response. First, edit the views.py file in your “hello” app to include a simple view:

    from django.http import HttpResponse
def hello_view(request):

        return HttpResponse("Hello, world!")

    

Configuring URLs

To make the view accessible, you’ll need to map a URL to it. Create a new file called urls.py in the “hello” app directory and include the following code:

    from django.urls import path

    from . import views
urlpatterns = [

        path('hello/', views.hello_view, name='hello'),

    ]

    

Next, include this URL pattern in the main project’s urls.py file:

    from django.contrib import admin

    from django.urls import include, path
urlpatterns = [

        path('admin/', admin.site.urls),

        path('hello/', include('hello.urls')),

    ]

    

Running Your Web App

With the server running, visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/hello/ in your web browser. You should see “Hello, world!” displayed on the page.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created your first Django web app. This guide covered the basics of setting up a Django project, creating a simple app, and running a development server. From here, you can explore Django’s powerful features, such as its ORM for database operations, user authentication, admin interface, and more. Django’s comprehensive documentation is an excellent resource for deepening your knowledge and building more complex applications. Happy coding!