IDS | Django Apps | Learn Web Development using Django

Introduction to Django Settings

Django settings control every aspect of your project - databases, installed apps, middleware, security configurations, and more. The `settings.py` file acts as the central configuration hub for your Django project.

Key Concepts:

All settings are defined in a single, centralized file (settings.py).
Settings use standard Python syntax with key-value pairs.
Supports different configurations for different environments (e.g., dev, prod).
Keep sensitive values (e.g., secrets, passwords) secure using environment variables.

Understanding `settings.py`

When you create a Django project, a settings.py file is automatically generated. It contains all the essential configurations like debug mode, allowed hosts, database, and static files. This file helps manage how your Django app runs across different environments.

Typical Structure of `settings.py`

# project/settings.py

# Core settings
DEBUG = True
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ["*"]
SECRET_KEY = 'your-secret-key-here'

# Application definition
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    # ...
]

# Database
DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
        'NAME': BASE_DIR / 'db.sqlite3',
    }
}

# Static files (CSS, JavaScript, Images)
STATIC_URL = 'static/'
MEDIA_URL = '/media/'

Core Configuration Settings in Django

Core Configuration Settings in Django control important parts of your project, like security, database setup, and which apps are used, making sure everything works correctly in different environments.

Essential Settings to Configure:

DEBUG: Set to True in development, False in production to protect sensitive data.

SECRET_KEY: A secret key for cryptographic operations; never expose it.

ALLOWED_HOSTS: A list of trusted domains/IPs to prevent HTTP Host header attacks.

DATABASES: Configuration for database connection, including type, name, and credentials.

INSTALLED_APPS: List of apps enabled in the Django project, both core and custom.

Adding Regular App Example

# DEBUG controls development vs production environment
DEBUG = True # Never True in production!

SECRET_KEY = 'django-insecure-your-key-here'

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['localhost', '127.0.0.1', 'yourdomain.com']

# Settings for database configuration
DATABASES = {
    'default': {
    'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
    'NAME': BASE_DIR / 'db.sqlite3',
    }
}

# Defines the apps used in the Django project
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'apps.core'
]

Splitting Settings for Different Environments

Splitting settings means separating configurations for development, testing, and production environments. This keeps your code cleaner, more secure, and easier to manage across different stages of deployment.

base.py: Shared settings used by all environments.

development.py: Settings for local development (e.g., DEBUG=True).

production.py: Secure settings for live deployment (e.g., DEBUG=False).

Basic Setup Example

# Split settings for base, development, and production structure
project/
├── settings/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── base.py
│   ├── development.py
│   └── production.py

# base.py
DEBUG = True
ALLOWED_HOSTS = []
INSTALLED_APPS = [
# ... core apps ...
]

# development.py
from .base import *

DEBUG = True
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['localhost', '127.0.0.1']
DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
        'NAME': BASE_DIR / 'db.sqlite3',
    }
}

# production.py
from .base import *

DEBUG = False
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['yourdomain.com']
DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
        # Production database config
    }
}

# Run with specific settings
python manage.py runserver --settings=project.settings.development

Serving Static and Media Files in Django

In Django, static files (such as CSS, JS, images) are used for styling and functionality, while media files are user-uploaded content. You configure their URLs and root directories in settings.py, and serve them via urls.py when DEBUG=True, or using a web server (like Nginx) in production when DEBUG=False.

Deployment Checklist Example

# project/settings.py

# Static files (CSS, JavaScript, Images)
STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATICFILES_DIRS = [os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static')]

# Prepares static files for serving via Nginx/Apache in production
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'staticfiles')

# Media files (Uploaded by users)
MEDIA_URL = '/media/'
MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'media')

# project/urls.py
from django.conf import settings
from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import include, path, re_path
from django.views.static import serve
from django.conf.urls.static import static

urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
    path('', include("blog.urls")),
]

# Serve static and media files during development (DEBUG=True)
if settings.DEBUG:
    urlpatterns += static(settings.STATIC_URL, document_root=settings.STATIC_ROOT)
    urlpatterns += static(settings.MEDIA_URL, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT)

# Manually Serve Static and Media Files in Production (DEBUG=False)
# NOT RECOMMENDED - Use Nginx or Apache for production.
# Required: Run 'python manage.py collectstatic' to collect static files.
else:
    urlpatterns += [
        re_path(r'^static/(?P.*)$', serve, {'document_root': settings.STATIC_ROOT}),
        re_path(r'^media/(?P.*)$', serve, {'document_root': settings.MEDIA_ROOT, 'show_indexes': True}),
    ]

Django Deployment Checklist

The Django Deployment Checklist is a quick-reference guide listing all the essential steps such as configuring secure settings, collecting static files, and running pre-deployment checks.