Django project structure walkthrough

Introduction

Django project structure helps organize your web app files clearly. It makes your code easy to find and manage.

When starting a new Django web application.

When you want to understand where to put your code and templates.

When you need to add new features like apps or static files.

When debugging or updating your Django project.

When collaborating with others on a Django project.

Syntax

Django

myproject/          # Root folder of your project
  manage.py          # Command-line tool to run tasks
  myproject/         # Main project folder
    __init__.py      # Marks this as a Python package
    settings.py      # Configuration settings
    urls.py          # URL routing for the project
    asgi.py          # ASGI server entry point
    wsgi.py          # WSGI server entry point
  app1/              # A Django app folder
    migrations/      # Database migrations
    __init__.py
    admin.py         # Admin site settings
    apps.py          # App configuration
    models.py        # Data models
    tests.py         # Tests for app
    views.py         # Views (logic for pages)
  templates/         # HTML templates
  static/            # Static files like CSS, JS, images

The manage.py file helps you run commands like starting the server or making migrations.

Each app is a smaller part of your project that does one job, like handling users or blog posts.

Examples

This shows a project with one app called blog. Templates for the blog are inside the app folder.

Django

myproject/
  manage.py
  myproject/
    settings.py
    urls.py
  blog/
    models.py
    views.py
    templates/
      blog/
        post_list.html

Here, static files like CSS are stored in a separate static folder at the project root.

Django

myproject/
  manage.py
  myproject/
    settings.py
    urls.py
  users/
    models.py
    views.py
  static/
    css/
      style.css

Sample Program

This is a simple Django project with one app called polls. It has folders for templates and static files outside the app folder for shared use.

Django

myproject/
  manage.py
  myproject/
    __init__.py
    settings.py
    urls.py
    asgi.py
    wsgi.py
  polls/
    __init__.py
    admin.py
    apps.py
    migrations/
      __init__.py
    models.py
    tests.py
    views.py
  templates/
    base.html
  static/
    css/
      main.css

Important Notes

Always keep your apps focused on one task to keep your project organized.

Use the templates folder for HTML files and static for CSS, JavaScript, and images.

Remember to add your apps to INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py to activate them.

Summary

Django projects have a clear folder structure to organize code and files.

manage.py helps run commands for your project.

Apps are smaller parts of the project, each with its own files.