Django project structure walkthrough - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Django project structure walkthrough

Start: django-admin startproject

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Create project folder

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Create manage.py file

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Create inner project folder

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Create __init__.py

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Create settings.py

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Create urls.py

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Create asgi.py & wsgi.py

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Project ready for apps & runserver

This flow shows how Django creates the main project structure step-by-step when you start a new project.

Execution Sample

Django

django-admin startproject mysite
cd mysite
ls

Creates a new Django project folder named 'mysite' with the default files and folders inside.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Created Item	Description
1	Run django-admin startproject mysite	mysite/	Main project folder created
2	Inside mysite/, create manage.py	manage.py	Command-line utility for project management
3	Create inner mysite/ folder	mysite/mysite/	Contains project settings and config
4	Create __init__.py inside inner mysite/	__init__.py	Marks folder as Python package
5	Create settings.py inside inner mysite/	settings.py	Project configuration settings
6	Create urls.py inside inner mysite/	urls.py	URL routing for the project
7	Create asgi.py and wsgi.py inside inner mysite/	asgi.py, wsgi.py	Entry points for web servers
8	Project structure ready	All files/folders	Ready to add apps and run server

💡 All default files and folders created, project structure complete.

Variable Tracker

Item	Before startproject	After step 1	After step 2	After step 3	After step 7	Final
mysite folder	Does not exist	Exists	Exists	Exists	Exists	Exists
manage.py	Does not exist	Does not exist	Exists	Exists	Exists	Exists
mysite inner folder	Does not exist	Does not exist	Does not exist	Exists	Exists	Exists
__init__.py	Does not exist	Does not exist	Does not exist	Exists	Exists	Exists
settings.py	Does not exist	Does not exist	Does not exist	Exists	Exists	Exists
urls.py	Does not exist	Does not exist	Does not exist	Exists	Exists	Exists
asgi.py & wsgi.py	Does not exist	Does not exist	Does not exist	Exists	Exists	Exists

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why are there two folders named 'mysite' after creating the project?

The outer 'mysite' is the project container folder. The inner 'mysite' is a Python package holding settings and config files, as shown in steps 1 and 3 of the execution_table.

What is the purpose of manage.py?

manage.py is a command-line tool to interact with the project, like running the server or migrations. It is created in step 2 and is outside the inner project folder.

Why do we have __init__.py inside the inner folder?

__init__.py marks the inner folder as a Python package so Python can import settings and other modules. This is shown in step 4.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what file is created at step 5?

A settings.py

B manage.py

C urls.py

D __init__.py

💡 Hint

Check the 'Created Item' column for step 5 in the execution_table.

At which step does the inner 'mysite' folder get created?

A Step 6

B Step 2

C Step 3

D Step 1

💡 Hint

Look for 'Create inner mysite/ folder' in the 'Action' column of the execution_table.

If manage.py was missing, which step likely failed?

A Step 1

B Step 2

C Step 3

D Step 4

💡 Hint

manage.py is created in step 2 according to the execution_table.

Concept Snapshot

Django project structure:
- Outer folder: project container
- manage.py: command tool
- Inner folder: Python package
- settings.py: config
- urls.py: routing
- asgi.py/wsgi.py: server entry
Created by django-admin startproject

Full Transcript

When you run 'django-admin startproject mysite', Django creates a main folder named 'mysite'. Inside it, there is a manage.py file for commands. Also, an inner folder named 'mysite' is created, which is a Python package containing __init__.py, settings.py, urls.py, asgi.py, and wsgi.py. These files configure the project, handle URL routing, and provide server interfaces. This structure is ready for adding apps and running the development server.