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How to install Django for development on MacOS

Step 1: Create a Project Directory

The first step is to create a new directory for your project and navigate into it. Replace project_name with the actual name of your project.

mkdir project_name
cd project_name

Step 2: Set Up a Virtual Environment

Creating a virtual environment is crucial as it allows you to manage project-specific dependencies without affecting the global Python environment on your system.

To create a virtual environment, run:

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

Step 3: Install Django

With the virtual environment active, install Django using pip:

pip install --upgrade pip
pip install django

Step 4: Create a New Project and App

Django organizes its applications in projects. A project encompasses the configuration and apps for a specific website. An app is a web application that does something – e.g., a blog, a database of public records, or a simple poll app.

First, create a new Django project:

django-admin startproject config .

Then, create a new app within your project (replace app_name with your app’s name):

django-admin startapp app_name

Step 5: Configure the App

Add your new app to the INSTALLED_APPS list in config/settings.py to include it in your project:

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    ...,
    'app_name',
]

Step 6: Create a Superuser

Create a superuser for accessing the Django admin interface. Replace admin@example.com and admin with your preferred email and username:

python manage.py createsuperuser --email admin@example.com --username admin

Step 7: Configure a Database (Optional)

Prerequisite: Ensure that PostgreSQL is installed on your local machine. If it’s not, you can follow this setup PostgreSQL guide.

Django uses SQLite by default, but if you prefer PostgreSQL, modify config/settings.py as follows:

DATABASES = {
    "default": {
        "ENGINE": "django.db.backends.postgresql",
        "NAME": "<database_name>",
        "USER": "<admin_username>",
        "PASSWORD": "<admin_password>",
        "HOST": "localhost",
        "PORT": "5432",
    }
}

Add psycopg driver:

pip install 'psycopg[binary]'

Apply migrations to create the necessary tables:

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

Step 8: Run the Server

To start the development server and test your setup, execute:

python manage.py runserver

This command starts the server on http://localhost:8000/. If you can see the Django welcome page, you have successfully set up a new Django project!