DjangoFolder

A minimal Django web application configured for deployment on AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

This project demonstrates a basic Django setup with a simple homepage response, WSGI/ASGI configuration, dependency management, and Elastic Beanstalk deployment configuration.

Application Output

When the application runs successfully, the homepage displays:

Hello from Elastic Beanstalk Django App!

Project Purpose

The purpose of this repository is to demonstrate how to create and deploy a basic Django application using AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

This project covers:

• Basic Django project structure
• Django URL routing
• Django view creation
• WSGI application configuration
• ASGI application configuration
• Python dependency management
• AWS Elastic Beanstalk deployment setup
• Static files configuration

Technologies Used

• Python
• Django 5.0.2
• Gunicorn
• AWS Elastic Beanstalk
• GitHub

Repository Structure

DjangoFolder/
│
├── .ebextensions/
│   └── django.config
│
├── mysite/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── asgi.py
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   ├── views.py
│   └── wsgi.py
│
├── application.py
├── manage.py
├── requirements.txt
└── README.md

File Guide

application.py

This file exposes the Django WSGI application for AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

from mysite.wsgi import application

Elastic Beanstalk uses this file to locate the Django application object.

manage.py

This is Django's command-line utility file. It is used to run development commands such as starting the local server, checking the project, and managing Django tasks.

Example:

python manage.py runserver

requirements.txt

This file lists the Python packages required to run the project.

Current dependencies:

Django==5.0.2
gunicorn

Note: The current repository version may show these dependencies on one line. For best practice, keep each dependency on its own line.

Correct format:

Django==5.0.2
gunicorn

.ebextensions/django.config

This file configures AWS Elastic Beanstalk to use the correct WSGI path.

The WSGI path is:

application:application

This means:

• The first application refers to the root-level application.py file.
• The second application refers to the imported WSGI application object.

mysite/settings.py

This file contains the main Django project configuration.

Important settings include:

SECRET_KEY = 'replace-me'
DEBUG = True
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*']
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles'
]
MIDDLEWARE = [
    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware'
]
ROOT_URLCONF = 'mysite.urls'
WSGI_APPLICATION = 'mysite.wsgi.application'
STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATIC_ROOT = BASE_DIR / 'staticfiles'

mysite/urls.py

This file defines the URL routes for the project.

The root URL / is connected to the home view:

urlpatterns = [
    path('', views.home),
]

mysite/views.py

This file contains the homepage view.

The home view returns a simple HTTP response:

from django.http import HttpResponse

def home(request):
    return HttpResponse("Hello from Elastic Beanstalk Django App!")

mysite/wsgi.py

This file creates the WSGI application used by production web servers and AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

application = get_wsgi_application()

mysite/asgi.py

This file creates the ASGI application for asynchronous server support.

application = get_asgi_application()

How to Run the Project Locally

Follow these steps to run the project on your computer.

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/iamwaqarjaved/DjangoFolder.git
cd DjangoFolder

Step 2: Create a Virtual Environment

python -m venv .venv

Step 3: Activate the Virtual Environment

On Windows:

.venv\Scripts\activate

On macOS or Linux:

source .venv/bin/activate

Step 4: Install Dependencies

pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 5: Run the Django Development Server

python manage.py runserver

Step 6: Open the Application

Open this URL in your browser:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/

Expected output:

Hello from Elastic Beanstalk Django App!

AWS Elastic Beanstalk Deployment Guide

This project includes Elastic Beanstalk configuration through the .ebextensions folder.

Step 1: Confirm Required Files

Before deployment, confirm that these files exist:

application.py
requirements.txt
.ebextensions/django.config
mysite/settings.py
mysite/wsgi.py

Step 2: Confirm WSGI Path

The Elastic Beanstalk WSGI path should be:

application:application

Step 3: Create an Elastic Beanstalk Application

In the AWS Elastic Beanstalk console:

1. Create a new application.
2. Choose Python as the platform.
3. Upload the project source code.
4. Deploy the environment.
5. Open the Elastic Beanstalk environment URL.

Step 4: Verify Deployment

After deployment, open the Elastic Beanstalk URL in your browser.

You should see:

Hello from Elastic Beanstalk Django App!

Common Commands

Run local server:

python manage.py runserver

Check Django project configuration:

python manage.py check

Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Collect static files:

python manage.py collectstatic

Create a new Django app:

python manage.py startapp appname

Development Workflow

A typical workflow for making changes:

git clone https://github.com/iamwaqarjaved/DjangoFolder.git
cd DjangoFolder
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python manage.py runserver

After editing files:

git add .
git commit -m "Update Django project"
git push origin main

Troubleshooting

Dependencies Do Not Install

Make sure requirements.txt is formatted correctly:

Django==5.0.2
gunicorn

Then run:

pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

Local Server Does Not Start

Check that the virtual environment is activated and dependencies are installed:

pip install -r requirements.txt
python manage.py runserver

Elastic Beanstalk Deployment Fails

Check the WSGI path in .ebextensions/django.config:

application:application

Also confirm that application.py exists in the project root.

Homepage Does Not Load

Check mysite/urls.py and mysite/views.py.

The root URL should point to the home view:

urlpatterns = [
    path('', views.home),
]

The view should return an HTTP response:

def home(request):
    return HttpResponse("Hello from Elastic Beanstalk Django App!")

Security Notes

The current project is configured for learning and development.

Before using it in production, update the following settings:

DEBUG = False
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['your-domain.com']
SECRET_KEY = 'your-secure-secret-key'

Recommended production improvements:

• Store SECRET_KEY in an environment variable.
• Set DEBUG = False.
• Restrict ALLOWED_HOSTS.
• Add secure middleware settings.
• Configure a production database if needed.
• Run collectstatic before deployment.
• Avoid committing sensitive values to GitHub.

Formatting Note

Several files in this repository may appear on one line. For readability and proper Python/YAML formatting, make sure these files use correct line breaks and indentation:

manage.py
application.py
requirements.txt
.ebextensions/django.config
mysite/settings.py
mysite/urls.py
mysite/views.py
mysite/wsgi.py
mysite/asgi.py

Future Improvements

Possible future improvements include:

• Add HTML templates
• Add CSS styling
• Add a database model
• Enable Django admin
• Add unit tests
• Add environment variable support
• Add production-ready settings
• Add a buildspec.yml file for AWS CodeBuild
• Add CI/CD deployment automation
• Add custom domain support

Author

Waqar Javed

GitHub: iamwaqarjaved

License

This project is created for academic and learning purposes.