🐍 Setting Up a Python & Django Dev Environment (Beginner Friendly)

🐍 Setting Up a Python & Django Dev Environment (Beginner Friendly)

So you want to dive into Django, the Python web framework that powers sites like Instagram, Pinterest, and even NASA tools? 🌌

You’re in the right place! Let’s walk step-by-step through setting up a Django development environment — the right way, with zero fluff.

🧰 What You’ll Need

✅ A computer

✅ Internet

✅ Some basic Python knowledge

✅ A sense of humor (debugging helps)

🔧 Step 1: Install Python 🐍

If you don’t already have Python:

👉 Go to https://python.org/downloads and install Python 3.10+

✅ Check installation:

python --version
# or sometimes
python3 --version

📦 Step 2: Set Up a Virtual Environment

Virtual environments keep your projects isolated. No mess, no mix-ups.

# Create a folder for your project
mkdir my_django_project
cd my_django_project

# Create a virtual environment
python -m venv venv

# Activate it
# On Windows:
venvScriptsactivate

# On Mac/Linux:
source venv/bin/activate

✅ You should now see (venv) in your terminal.

🚀 Step 3: Install Django

Let’s install Django into your virtual environment:

pip install django

✅ Confirm it:

django-admin --version

🏗️ Step 4: Start a New Django Project

django-admin startproject config .

Yes, that . at the end keeps the folder clean (no nested config/config madness).

🛠️ Step 5: Run the Development Server

python manage.py runserver

Then open:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/

🎉 You should see Django’s “It worked!” screen.

🧪 Step 6: Create an App

In Django, projects are made of apps.

python manage.py startapp core

Then add 'core', to INSTALLED_APPS in config/settings.py.

🐞 Bonus: Install Dev Tools

pip install black isort django-debug-toolbar

Want cool admin themes?

pip install django-admin-interface

🧾 Example requirements.txt

Django>=4.0
black
isort
django-debug-toolbar
django-admin-interface

You can save this and run:

pip install -r requirements.txt

📝 Editor Setup

Use VS Code (or any Python-supporting editor).

• Install the Python extension
• Enable “Format on Save” using Black
• Install the Django extension (for model navigation and templates)

📂 Suggested Folder Structure

my_django_project/
├── config/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── wsgi.py
├── core/
│   ├── models.py
│   ├── views.py
│   └── ...
├── manage.py
├── venv/
└── requirements.txt

🤔 Common Errors

❌ django-admin: command not found

➡️ Make sure your virtual environment is activated

❌ ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'Django'

➡️ Install Django inside the virtual environment

❌ AllowedHosts error

➡️ Set ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*'] in dev (but don’t do this in prod!)

🧠 Final Thoughts

Django is powerful, elegant, and incredibly beginner-friendly — but the setup must be clean. Using virtual environments and knowing your tools helps avoid dev pain later.

“Give me six hours to set up a Django project and I will save weeks of debugging.”

— Not Abraham Lincoln, but close

🚨 TL;DR

💡 What Next?

• Learn Django Models, Views, and Templates
• Try building a blog app
• Use sqlite3 first, then level up to PostgreSQL
• Deploy your app to Render or Vercel

Good luck, future Django developer! 🐍✨