Skip to main content

Django & Docker Integration

Learn how to integrate Docker and Docker Compose to a Django project

Adding Docker and Docker Compose to a Django project can be a valuable step to containerize your application and manage its dependencies more effectively.

Docker DB Persistence - How to implement for a Django Project

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

✅ Prerequisites​

You should have Docker and Docker Compose installed on your system. If not, you can download and install them from the official Docker website: Docker Installation and Docker Compose Installation.

Now, let's proceed with integrating Docker and Docker Compose into your Django project:

✅ Create a Django Project​

If you haven't already, create a Django project using the following command:

$ django-admin startproject projectname

✅ Create a Dockerfile​

In the root directory of your Django project, create a file named Dockerfile (without any file extension) with the following content. This file will define how your Django application should be built inside a Docker container:

# Use the official Python image from Docker Hub
FROM python:3.x

# Set environment variables
ENV PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE 1
ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED 1

# Create and set the working directory
WORKDIR /app

# Copy the requirements file into the container
COPY requirements.txt /app/

# Install dependencies
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt

# Copy the Django project code into the container
COPY . /app/

Make sure to replace 3.x with the Python version you are using.

✅ Create a requirements.txt File​

In the same directory as your Dockerfile, create a requirements.txt file containing all the Python dependencies your Django project requires. You can generate this file by running:

$ pip freeze > requirements.txt

✅ Add Docker Compose Configuration​

Create a file named docker-compose.yml in your project's root directory to define your Docker Compose configuration. Here's a basic example:

version: '3'

services:
    web:
    build: .
    command: python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
    ports:
        - "8000:8000"
    volumes:
        - .:/app
    depends_on:
        - db

    db:
    image: postgres:12
    environment:
        POSTGRES_DB: dbname
        POSTGRES_USER: dbuser
        POSTGRES_PASSWORD: dbpassword

Customize the POSTGRES_DB, POSTGRES_USER, and POSTGRES_PASSWORD values to match your Django project's database settings.

✅ Docker Compose Commands​

You can use Docker Compose to build and run your Django project with the following commands:

  • Build the Docker images:

    $ docker-compose build

  • Start the containers:

    $ docker-compose up

Your Django application should now be running in a Docker container, and you can access it at http://localhost:8000 in your web browser.

✅ In Summary​

At this point, you've successfully added Docker and Docker Compose to your Django project, allowing you to easily manage the development environment and dependencies.

Remember to adjust the configuration and settings as needed for your specific project.

✅ Resources​