Educational

Installing Python and Django

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by

Saim Khalid
in

Introduction

Python is one of the most popular and versatile programming languages in the world. Its simplicity, readability, and large community support make it a great choice for beginners and professionals alike. One of the most powerful frameworks built on Python is Django — a high-level web framework that allows rapid development of secure and maintainable websites.

Before you start developing with Django, you need to install Python, set up pip (Python’s package manager), create a virtual environment, and install Django itself. This guide will walk you through every step, ensuring you understand not just how to do it, but why each step matters.

By the end of this tutorial, you will have a complete setup ready for Django web development on your machine.

1. Understanding Python and Django

Before diving into installation, let’s understand the purpose of Python and Django.

What is Python?

Python is an interpreted, high-level programming language known for its simplicity and readability. It is widely used for web development, data science, automation, artificial intelligence, and more.

Python’s syntax allows developers to express concepts in fewer lines of code compared to many other languages, which makes it an excellent choice for both beginners and experts.

What is Django?

Django is a high-level Python web framework that follows the Model-View-Template (MVT) architectural pattern. It is designed to help developers create robust, scalable, and secure web applications quickly.

Some key advantages of Django include:

  • Rapid Development: Django includes many built-in features such as an admin interface, authentication system, and ORM.
  • Security: Django helps developers avoid common security mistakes such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF).
  • Scalability: It can handle high-traffic websites with ease.
  • Community Support: Django has a vast community and rich documentation.

Now that you understand the basics, let’s proceed with setting up your environment.

2. Checking if Python is Already Installed

Before installing Python, it’s good to check whether it’s already installed on your computer.

On Windows

  1. Open Command Prompt (search for “cmd” in the Start menu).
  2. Type: python --version
  3. If you see something like Python 3.x.x, then Python is already installed.
  4. If not, you’ll see an error message such as “Python is not recognized as an internal or external command.” In that case, you need to install it.

On macOS or Linux

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Type: python3 --version
  3. If it shows Python 3.x.x, Python is installed.
  4. Otherwise, you’ll need to install it manually.

3. Installing Python

Let’s install the latest version of Python.

Step 1: Download Python

Go to the official Python website:
https://www.python.org/downloads/

Download the version suitable for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).

Step 2: Install Python on Windows

  1. Run the downloaded installer.
  2. Important: Check the box “Add Python to PATH” before clicking “Install Now.”
  3. Once installation is complete, open Command Prompt and verify by typing: python --version You should see a version number like Python 3.12.0.

Step 3: Install Python on macOS

On macOS, you can install Python using the official installer or via Homebrew.

Using the official installer:

  • Download the macOS installer from the Python website and follow the installation steps.

Using Homebrew:

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Install Homebrew if not installed: /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
  3. Install Python: brew install python
  4. Verify installation: python3 --version

Step 4: Install Python on Linux

Most Linux distributions come with Python pre-installed. If not:

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Run: sudo apt update sudo apt install python3
  3. Verify installation: python3 --version

4. Installing and Verifying pip

What is pip?

pip stands for “Pip Installs Packages.” It’s the default package manager for Python, allowing you to install and manage additional libraries and frameworks such as Django.

Checking if pip is Installed

In your command line, run:

pip --version

or

pip3 --version

If pip is installed, it will display a version number. If not, follow the steps below.

Installing pip (if not already installed)

If pip is missing, install it using the following command:

On Windows:

  1. Download get-pip.py from:
    https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py
  2. Run: python get-pip.py

On macOS or Linux:

sudo apt install python3-pip

or

python3 -m ensurepip --upgrade

Verify again:

pip3 --version

5. Setting Up a Virtual Environment

What is a Virtual Environment?

A virtual environment is an isolated space where you can install packages specific to a project without affecting global system packages. This helps prevent conflicts between projects that require different versions of Python or Django.

Why Use a Virtual Environment?

  • Keeps your project dependencies isolated.
  • Avoids version conflicts.
  • Makes projects easier to manage and deploy.
  • Simplifies collaboration with other developers.

Creating a Virtual Environment

On Windows

  1. Navigate to your project folder: cd Desktop mkdir django_project cd django_project
  2. Create a virtual environment: python -m venv env
  3. Activate the environment: env\Scripts\activate
  4. You’ll notice (env) appears before your command prompt — meaning it’s active.

On macOS or Linux

  1. Create a project directory: mkdir django_project cd django_project
  2. Create a virtual environment: python3 -m venv env
  3. Activate it: source env/bin/activate

Now, your virtual environment is ready.

6. Upgrading pip Inside the Virtual Environment

Once your virtual environment is active, it’s a good practice to upgrade pip to the latest version.

pip install --upgrade pip

This ensures compatibility with the latest packages, including Django.

7. Installing Django

Step 1: Installing Django Using pip

With your virtual environment active, run the following command:

pip install django

This will download and install the latest version of Django from the Python Package Index (PyPI).

Step 2: Verifying the Django Installation

To check if Django is installed properly, run:

django-admin --version

This should display the installed Django version, such as 5.0.2 or newer.

8. Creating Your First Django Project

Once Django is installed, you can create your first project.

  1. Inside your activated virtual environment, run: django-admin startproject myproject
  2. Navigate into your project: cd myproject
  3. Start the development server: python manage.py runserver
  4. You’ll see output like: Starting development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000/
  5. Open your browser and visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/.
    You should see the Django welcome page — confirming everything is working.

9. Understanding Django Project Structure

When you create a Django project, several files and folders are generated automatically.

myproject/
├── manage.py
└── myproject/

├── __init__.py
├── settings.py
├── urls.py
├── asgi.py
└── wsgi.py

Here’s what each file does:

  • manage.py: A command-line utility to manage your Django project (e.g., runserver, migrate).
  • init.py: Marks the directory as a Python package.
  • settings.py: Contains configuration settings like database, static files, and middleware.
  • urls.py: Defines URL routing for your application.
  • asgi.py / wsgi.py: Entry points for ASGI/WSGI-compatible web servers.

10. Creating a Django App

A Django project can contain multiple apps. Each app handles a specific functionality.

Steps to Create an App

  1. Inside your project directory, run: python manage.py startapp blog
  2. Django will create a folder structure like this: blog/ ├── admin.py ├── apps.py ├── models.py ├── tests.py ├── views.py ├── __init__.py └── migrations/
  3. Add your new app to the project’s settings:
    Open settings.py and find INSTALLED_APPS. Add your app name: INSTALLED_APPS = [ 'django.contrib.admin', 'django.contrib.auth', 'django.contrib.contenttypes', 'django.contrib.sessions', 'django.contrib.messages', 'django.contrib.staticfiles', 'blog', ]

11. Running the Development Server Again

After adding the app, run the development server again to ensure everything is functioning properly:

python manage.py runserver

You can now start building models, views, templates, and more.

12. Managing Django Packages and Dependencies

As you work with Django, you’ll likely install more packages. To manage these dependencies, use a requirements file.

Creating a Requirements File

To record all installed packages:

pip freeze > requirements.txt

This creates a file listing all dependencies.

Installing from a Requirements File

When sharing your project or setting it up elsewhere, you can install all dependencies with:

pip install -r requirements.txt

This ensures consistency across environments.

13. Deactivating the Virtual Environment

When you’re done working on your project, deactivate the virtual environment:

deactivate

Your command prompt will return to normal, indicating that you’ve exited the virtual environment.

14. Troubleshooting Common Issues

Here are some common issues you may encounter and their solutions:

Issue 1: “Python is not recognized as an internal or external command”

Solution:
Make sure Python is added to your system PATH. Reinstall Python and check the option “Add Python to PATH” during installation.

Issue 2: “pip not found” or “pip command not recognized”

Solution:
Reinstall pip using python -m ensurepip or download get-pip.py.

Issue 3: “django-admin not recognized”

Solution:
Ensure your virtual environment is activated before running Django commands.

Issue 4: “Permission denied” errors on Linux/macOS

Solution:
Use sudo for administrative privileges when necessary.

15. Updating Django and Python

Keeping your tools up to date ensures better performance and security.

Updating Django

pip install --upgrade django

Updating pip

pip install --upgrade pip

Updating Python

Visit https://www.python.org/downloads/ and download the latest version.

16. Uninstalling Django

If you ever need to remove Django:

pip uninstall django

You can reinstall it later with pip install django.

17. Next Steps After Installation

Once your environment is ready, you can explore the next stages of Django development:

  • Creating models and connecting to a database.
  • Building views and templates.
  • Setting up URLs and routing.
  • Using Django’s admin panel.
  • Deploying Django applications to production.

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