Setting Up the Development Environment

Key Concepts

Setting up a development environment for Django involves several key steps:

• Installing Python
• Setting up a Virtual Environment
• Installing Django
• Creating a Django Project

1. Installing Python

Python is the foundation of Django. To install Python, follow these steps:

1. Visit the official Python website: https://www.python.org/downloads/.
2. Download the latest version of Python for your operating system.
3. Run the installer and ensure that the "Add Python to PATH" option is checked.
4. Verify the installation by opening a terminal or command prompt and typing:

                   python --version
               

   This should display the installed Python version.

2. Setting Up a Virtual Environment

A virtual environment isolates your project dependencies, ensuring that they do not interfere with other projects. To set up a virtual environment:

1. Open a terminal or command prompt.
2. Navigate to your project directory.
3. Create a virtual environment by typing:

                   python -m venv myenv
               

   Replace "myenv" with your preferred environment name.
4. Activate the virtual environment:
   • On Windows:

                             myenv\Scripts\activate
                         

   • On macOS and Linux:

                             source myenv/bin/activate
                         

3. Installing Django

With the virtual environment activated, you can now install Django:

1. Ensure your virtual environment is active.
2. Install Django using pip:

                   pip install django
               

3. Verify the installation by typing:

                   django-admin --version
               

   This should display the installed Django version.

4. Creating a Django Project

Once Django is installed, you can create a new Django project:

1. Ensure your virtual environment is active.
2. Navigate to the directory where you want to create your project.
3. Create a new Django project by typing:

                   django-admin startproject myproject
               

   Replace "myproject" with your preferred project name.
4. Navigate into the project directory:

                   cd myproject
               

5. Run the development server to verify the setup:

                   python manage.py runserver
               

   Open a web browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:8000/ to see the default Django welcome page.

By following these steps, you will have a fully functional Django development environment ready for building web applications.