Quick & Easy Django Deployment on PythonAnywhere (Full Guide)

Summary

In this video, the presenter demonstrates how to quickly deploy a Django project to PythonAnywhere using a free account. The tutorial walks viewers through creating an account, setting up a web app, and configuring a virtual environment for the project. The presenter also shows how to modify the Django project locally, including adding a new app, creating views, and testing the changes. Finally, they explain how to upload the updated project back to PythonAnywhere and view it live on the web, making it a simple and efficient process for deployment and testing.

Takeaways

• 😀 PythonAnywhere allows you to deploy Django projects to the web quickly and easily, even with a free account.
• 😀 To start, sign up for a PythonAnywhere account and create a web app using Django 4 and Python 3.9.
• 😀 After signing up and logging in, you will be prompted with a tutorial to get familiar with the dashboard and available tools.
• 😀 A virtual environment is crucial for managing dependencies. You can create one using the `mkvirtualenv` command in the console.
• 😀 Install Django in the virtual environment with `pip install Django` to ensure the correct version is used for the web app.
• 😀 After setting up the virtual environment, configure the web app by adding the correct path to the virtual environment in the web tab.
• 😀 To modify your Django project, you can download the project folder from PythonAnywhere, make changes locally, and then upload it again to the server.
• 😀 Always add `localhost` to the `ALLOWED_HOSTS` setting in Django when running the project locally for testing.
• 😀 When modifying the Django app, create new apps (like `polls`), define URL patterns, and create templates to display content.
• 😀 After testing the changes locally, compress the modified project into a ZIP file and upload it back to PythonAnywhere to overwrite the existing version.
• 😀 Finally, reload the web app from the web tab in PythonAnywhere to see the changes reflected on your live website.

Q & A

What is the main objective of the tutorial?

The tutorial aims to demonstrate how to deploy a Django project to PythonAnywhere in a quick and easy way using a free account.

How can you create an account on PythonAnywhere?

To create an account on PythonAnywhere, you need to visit their website, click on 'Sign up,' and select a beginner account. After that, you can choose a username, which will become part of your PythonAnywhere domain (e.g., username.pythonanywhere.com).

What is the purpose of the 'Web' tab in PythonAnywhere?

The 'Web' tab in PythonAnywhere is used to create and configure a web app for your Django project. It allows you to manage server settings and deployment.

How do you create a virtual environment in PythonAnywhere?

To create a virtual environment in PythonAnywhere, open the 'Consoles' tab, create a new bash console, and use the command 'mkvirtualenv <name>' with the desired Python version (e.g., Python 3.9). This will create an isolated environment for your project dependencies.

What steps are involved in installing Django in a virtual environment?

After creating and activating the virtual environment, you can install Django by running the command 'pip install Django' in the bash console. This installs Django inside the isolated environment, keeping your project dependencies separate from the system Python environment.

What is the significance of the 'Allowed Hosts' setting in Django?

'Allowed Hosts' is a security setting in Django that specifies which domain names or IP addresses are allowed to access your application. In this tutorial, 'localhost' is added to the list to allow the local development environment to run without issues.

How do you modify a Django project after downloading it from PythonAnywhere?

After downloading the Django project from PythonAnywhere, you extract it, modify it using a text editor, and make necessary changes. For example, in the tutorial, 'localhost' was added to the allowed hosts, and an app was created with a view and template.

What are the steps to test a Django project locally?

To test the Django project locally, you need to run the Django development server using the command 'python manage.py runserver' in your local environment. This will allow you to check if the project is running correctly before deploying it back to PythonAnywhere.

How do you deploy changes back to PythonAnywhere after modifying a Django project?

To deploy changes back to PythonAnywhere, you first zip the modified project, upload the zipped file via the 'Files' tab, extract it in the bash console, and then reload the web app from the 'Web' tab to see the changes reflected online.

Why is PythonAnywhere a useful tool for deploying Django projects?

PythonAnywhere is useful for quickly deploying Django projects because it provides a free tier with easy setup, a user-friendly interface, and the ability to run Python-based web apps without requiring a local server or complex configurations. It's particularly handy for testing, showing projects to clients, or learning web development.