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🚀 Django – Create Project Step-by-Step (2025 Beginner’s Guide)

🧲 Introduction – Why Start a Django Project?

Once you’ve installed Django, the first major step in web development is to create a Django project. A Django project acts as the root configuration and controller for one or more apps, managing settings, routing, and database connections.

🎯 In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What a Django project is
• How to create your first project using django-admin
• Folder structure explained
• How to run your project and test it locally

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🧰 Prerequisites

Before creating a project, ensure:

✅ Python 3.6+ is installed
✅ Django is installed (pip install django)
✅ (Optional but recommended) You’re in a virtual environment

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📁 Step 1: Choose a Directory & Activate Environment

Navigate to your desired location:

$ mkdir django_projects
$ cd django_projects

Activate your virtual environment:

$ source env/bin/activate  # macOS/Linux
> env\Scripts\activate     # Windows

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⚙️ Step 2: Create a Django Project

Run the django-admin command:

(env) $ django-admin startproject mysite

This will create a folder named mysite with the following structure:

mysite/
├── manage.py
└── mysite/
    ├── __init__.py
    ├── settings.py
    ├── urls.py
    ├── asgi.py
    └── wsgi.py

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🔍 What Each File Does

File/Folder	Description
manage.py	Project CLI to runserver, migrate, shell, etc.
mysite/	Inner folder; actual project settings module
settings.py	Configuration (apps, DB, static, etc.)
urls.py	URL dispatcher for the project
asgi.py/wsgi.py	Entry points for ASGI/WSGI servers

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🧪 Step 3: Run the Development Server

Move into the project directory:

$ cd mysite

Start the server:

$ python manage.py runserver

You’ll see something like:

Starting development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000/

Open your browser and go to: http://localhost:8000
✅ You should see the Django rocket welcome page!

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📌 Summary – Recap & Next Steps

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• django-admin startproject creates the core project files
• A Django project can host multiple apps
• manage.py runserver launches the dev server instantly

⚙️ Real-World Relevance:
The project structure ensures clean organization of settings, URLs, and app logic. It’s your launchpad for real-world web applications using Django.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

❓ What’s the difference between a project and an app?

✅ A project is the main container with settings, DB config, and routing.
✅ An app is a module inside the project that performs a specific function (e.g., blog, store, user auth).

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❓ Can I rename the project after creation?

🚫 It’s not recommended unless you update all references (especially in settings.py, wsgi.py, and manage.py).

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❓ How many apps can a Django project have?

✅ As many as you need. Django is designed to support multi-app architecture.

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❓ Can I create multiple projects in the same environment?

✅ Yes, as long as each project is in a separate folder. Use different virtual environments for better isolation.

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❓ Is it required to use django-admin to start a project?

✅ It’s the official way to scaffold a new Django project quickly and correctly.

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