How to install Django on CentOS 7

Django is a powerful web framework for building web applications quickly and efficiently. If you’re looking to set up a Django environment on a CentOS 7 server, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the installation process step by step.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

• A CentOS 7 server
• Root or sudo access
• Basic knowledge of the command line

Step 1: Update Your System

First, ensure that your system is up to date. Open your terminal and run:

sudo yum update -y

This command will update all the packages on your CentOS 7 server.

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Django requires Python, so let’s install Python and some essential development tools. Run the following command:

sudo yum install python3 python3-pip python3-devel gcc -y

This will install Python 3, pip (Python package manager), and development tools required for building Python packages.

Step 3: Install Virtual Environment

It’s a good practice to use a virtual environment for your Django projects. This keeps your dependencies organized and manageable. Install the virtual environment package:

sudo pip3 install virtualenv

Step 4: Create a Virtual Environment

Now, let’s create a directory for your Django project and set up a virtual environment inside it. Navigate to your desired directory and run:

mkdir ~/mydjangoapp
cd ~/mydjangoapp
virtualenv venv

Activate the virtual environment with the following command:

source venv/bin/activate

Your command prompt should change to indicate that the virtual environment is active.

Step 5: Install Django

With the virtual environment activated, you can now install Django. Use pip to install the latest version of Django:

pip install django

You can verify the installation by checking the Django version:

django-admin --version

Step 6: Create a New Django Project

Now that Django is installed, let’s create a new project. Run the following command:

django-admin startproject myproject

This creates a new directory called myproject with the necessary files.

Step 7: Configure the Database

For this example, we will use SQLite, which comes bundled with Django. You can find the database configuration in myproject/settings.py. Open the file with your favorite text editor:

nano myproject/settings.py

Make sure the DATABASES section looks like this:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
        'NAME': os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'db.sqlite3'),
    }
}

Step 8: Migrate the Database

Now it’s time to set up the database tables. Run the following command:

python manage.py migrate

This command applies all the migrations, creating the necessary tables in your SQLite database.

Step 9: Create a Superuser

To access the Django admin panel, you need to create a superuser. Run:

python manage.py createsuperuser

Follow the prompts to set up your username and password.

Step 10: Run the Development Server

You’re almost there! You can now run the Django development server. Use this command:

python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Your Django application will be accessible at http://your_server_ip:8000/.

Step 11: Access the Admin Panel

To access the Django admin panel, navigate to http://your_server_ip:8000/admin/ in your web browser. Log in using the superuser credentials you created earlier.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Django on your CentOS 7 server. You are now ready to start building your web applications. Remember to deactivate the virtual environment when you’re done working:

deactivate