Django Deployment Guide

Django loves static files

Context

• Preparation
• Deployment
  • Cpanel deployment
  • Render deployment
  • Host locally view globally
• Extra
  • Django uploaded content (File/Image) Deletion
  • Django uploaded content (File/Image) Rename
  • Signed in user won't be able to access sign-in,sign-up route without log out

Preparation

• Add those in requirements.txt

  Django==5.0.6
  gunicorn==21.2.0
  pillow==10.3.0
  whitenoise==6.6.0

• In settings.py file modify as below

  DEBUG = False
  ALLOWED_HOSTS = ["*"] # This can be also set as default domain after deployment
  INSTALLED_APPS = [
      'django.contrib.admin',
      'django.contrib.auth',
      'django.contrib.contenttypes',
      'django.contrib.sessions',
      'django.contrib.messages',
      'whitenoise.runserver_nostatic', # This must be added before 'django.contrib.staticfiles'
      'django.contrib.staticfiles',
      'portfolioapp',
  ]
  
  MIDDLEWARE = [
      'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
      'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
      'whitenoise.middleware.WhiteNoiseMiddleware', # This must be added here after SecurityMiddleware & SessionMiddleware
      'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
      'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
      'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
      'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
      'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
  ]
  # Add those at the end
  STATIC_URL = 'static/'
  MEDIA_URL = '/media/'
  STATIC_ROOT = BASE_DIR / 'staticfiles/'
  MEDIA_ROOT = BASE_DIR / 'media/'
  STATICFILES_STORAGE = 'whitenoise.storage.CompressedStaticFilesStorage'

  • Here we set the url of the media so when we make a ImageField in model we will set the upload_to --> upload_to='profile_image' or any other preferred path name
  • To show the image we will use {{i.profile_image.url}}

• Now in modify urls.py file in project directory

  from django.contrib import admin
  from django.conf import settings
  from django.conf.urls.static import static
  from django.views.static import serve
  from django.urls import path, include, re_path
  
  urlpatterns = [
      path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
      # Other paths...
  ]
  urlpatterns+=re_path(r'^static/(?P<path>.*)$', serve, {'document_root': settings.STATIC_ROOT}),
  urlpatterns+=re_path(r'^media/(?P<path>.*)$', serve, {'document_root': settings.MEDIA_ROOT}),

• Now use this command to collect all the static content

  • python manage.py collectstatic

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Deployment

Cpanel Deployment

• In Cpanel create a python application
• Select python version >= 3.10 (for django version 5)
• Add Application root
• Select domain in Application URL and set the url
• Now click on Create
• Go to the Application root path
  • Edit passenger_wsgi.py add the below line and save it
    • from imageProject.wsgi import application # here imageProject is the project name
  • Upload project with requirements.txt
• Now again go to the python application and add requirements.txt in Configuration files (Save and run pip install)
• Now in Execute python script run this: manage.py collectstatic

Render Deployment

• Go to render and select web service from New tab

• Select Github repo of the project

• Now in project setting page write Project Name (unique)

• Select Region, Branch

• Set Build command pip install -r requirements.txt

• Set start command gunicorn imageProject.wsgi:application # here jobProject is the project name

• Choose Instance Type Free and start deploy.

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Host locally view globally

• Using Serveo

  • ssh -R 80:localhost:8000 serveo.net
  • To use unique subdomain, need to generate a key
    • ssh-keygen -t ed25519
    • ssh -R <unique subdomain>:80:<your local host>:<your local port> serveo.net
    • Example: ssh -R youruniquesubdomain:80:localhost:8000 serveo.net
    • Add that domain in ALLOWED_HOSTS and include CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = ['https://youruniquesubdomain.serveo.net'] in settings.py
  • Now a login prompt to serveo will be given; use google/github to login
  • Rerun ssh -R youruniquesubdomain:80:localhost:8000 serveo.net, now it will work

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Extra

Django uploaded content (File/Image) Deletion

• Install django-cleanup
  • pip install django-cleanup
  • Documentation: Django Cleanup
• Modify in settings.py's INSTALLED_APPS

  INSTALLED_APPS = [
      'django.contrib.admin',
      'django.contrib.auth',
      'django.contrib.contenttypes',
      'django.contrib.sessions',
      'django.contrib.messages',
      'whitenoise.runserver_nostatic', # This must be added before 'django.contrib.staticfiles'
      'django.contrib.staticfiles',
      'imageApp',
      'django_cleanup.apps.CleanupConfig',
  ]

  Make sure to add it at the bottom

• Now first import the cleanup in models.py

  • from django_cleanup import cleanup

  • Add @cleanup.select before class defied

    from django.db import models
    from django_cleanup import cleanup
    
    # Create your models here.
    @cleanup.select
    class UserModel(models.Model):
        name=models.CharField(max_length=100)
        profile_image=models.ImageField(upload_to='profile_image')
        def __str__(self):
            return self.name

    Note: To ignore a model we can add @cleanup_ignore

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Django uploaded content (File/Image) Rename

• Add this function in models.py

  def user_directory_path(instance, filename):
      # file will be uploaded to MEDIA_ROOT/user_<id>/<filename>
      return f"user_{instance.name}_{filename}"

  • Here file will be saved as user_{instance.name}_{file_name}; e.g: user_tansen_1.jpg

• Now include this function in upload_to

  class UserModel(models.Model):
      name=models.CharField(max_length=100)
      profile_image=models.ImageField(upload_to=user_directory_path)
      def __str__(self):
          return self.name

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Signed in user won't be able to access sign-in,sign-up route without log out

• Create a custom function

  from django.contrib import messages
  
  def logout_required(view_func):
      def wrapper(request, *args, **kwargs):
          if request.user.is_authenticated:
              messages.warning(request, "You are already logged in.")
              return redirect('dashboard')
          return view_func(request, *args, **kwargs)
      return wrapper

  • Here message is added to show the user that he is already logged in
  • Now add this @logout_requiredbefore signin and singup function

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