How to deploy a Django App?

Django is a powerful web framework that allows you to deploy your Python applications or websites. It provides a robust set of tools and features, including a high-level ORM (Object-Relational Mapper) for database interaction, a built-in administrative interface, and support for authentication and authorization.

In this guide, you’ll configure a Django app and deploy it to Spheron Compute using Docker.

Prerequisites

To successfully follow this guide, you will need the following:

• A DockerHub (opens in a new tab) account.
• Python3 (opens in a new tab) installed on your local machine.
• A text editor. You can use Visual Studio Code (opens in a new tab) or your favorite text editor.

Step 1: Create a Django App

1. Install Django (if you haven't already) by running the following command:

   pip install Django

2. Create a new Django project by running the following command:

   django-admin startproject django_server

3. Change into the project directory:

   cd django_server

4. Create a new Django app within the project:

   python manage.py startapp myapp

5. Open the django_server/settings.py file. Add 'myapp' to the INSTALLED_APPS list and '*' to the ALLOWED_HOSTS list.

6. Open the myproject/urls.py file and replace its contents with the following code:

   from django.urls import path
   from myapp.views import hello_world
    
   urlpatterns = [
    path('hello/', hello_world),
   ]

7. Create a new file myapp/views.py and add the following code:

   from django.http import HttpResponse
    
   def hello_world(request):
      return HttpResponse("Hello, World!")
    

8. Create a new file requirements.txt, and add the following:

   Django==3.2.4

9. Start the development server by running the following command:

   python manage.py runserver

10. Open your web browser and visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/hello/. You should see the message "Hello, World!" displayed.

Check out the example here. (opens in a new tab)

Step 2: Create a Dockerfile

Here's what the dockerfile for this django app will look like:

# Use an official Python runtime as the base image
FROM python:3.9
 
# Set environment variables
ENV PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE 1
ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED 1
 
# Set the working directory in the container
WORKDIR /code
 
# Install dependencies
COPY requirements.txt /code/
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
 
# Copy the Django project code to the container
COPY . /code/
 
# Expose the port that Django runs on
EXPOSE 8000
 
# Run the Django development server
CMD python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Step 3: Set default platform for the docker build

Docker images built with Apple Silicon (or another ARM64 based architecture) can create issues when deploying the images to a Linux or Windows-based AMD64 environment. Before running the docker build command, run this command in your terminal:

export DOCKER_DEFAULT_PLATFORM=linux/amd64

Step 4: Build a Docker image

To build the Docker image:

1. Save the above Dockerfile in the root directory of your Django app.
2. Open a terminal and navigate to the root directory of your project, where the Dockerfile is located.
3. Run the following command to build the Docker image:

docker build -t django_server .

4. After the build process completes, you can run a container based on the image using the following command:

docker run -p 8000:8000 django_server

Step 5: Push the app to DockerHub

To push an image, you first need to create a repository on Docker Hub.

Create a repo

To create a repository on Docker Hub:

1. Sign up (opens in a new tab) or Sign in to Docker Hub (opens in a new tab).
2. Select the Create Repository button.
3. For the repo name, use django_server. Make sure the Visibility is Public.
4. Select the Create button.

Push the image

1. Login to the Docker Hub using the command docker login -u YOUR-USER-NAME.
2. Use the docker tag command to give the django_server image a new name. Be sure to swap out YOUR-USER-NAME with your Docker ID.

docker tag django_server YOUR-USER-NAME/django_server

3. Now try your push command again. If you’re copying the value from Docker Hub, you can drop the tagname portion, as you didn’t add a tag to the image name. If you don’t specify a tag, Docker will use a tag called latest.

docker push YOUR-USER-NAME/django_server

Here's what a Docker Image will look like on Docker Hub:

Check out this docker image here. (opens in a new tab)

Step 6: Run on Spheron Compute

To run your app on Spheron:

1. Click "New Cluster" on the top right corner.
2. Choose "Compute" to use CPU-based instances for running containers.
3. Choose your desired Compute Type option under Compute Type.
4. Select Import from Docker Hub.
5. Enter the names for your cluster and docker image.
6. Then, Add the tag and Click "Next."
7. Select your preferred Region, if any. If you do not add a region, the container will be deployed in any region for Spot, or in the eu-east region for On Demand. Click here to know more.
8. Spheron will automatically select the recommended plan for the specific template. If you intend to move forward with the recommended plan, Create new Port Policy Mapping and just Click "Deploy" to initiate deployment.
9. Select the instance plan that suits your needs. You can use the "Create Custom Plan" toggle to create custom plans for your CPU based instance.
10. Configure Storage (SSD) plan for your instance. Use the "Add Persistent Storage" toggle to add persistent storage for your instance.
11. Create new Port Policy Mapping. Add the container port, and Select the exposed port you want to map it to. Click here to know more.
12. Add Environment Variable, if any.
13. Add Secret Environment Variable if the value is a secret key. It will not be saved in the database. Click here to know more.
14. You can add advanced configuration if required. Click here to know more.
15. You can add health checkup if required. Click here to know more.
16. Click "Deploy" to initiate deployment.

Verify Installation

The Django App can be accessed only after the Compute Instance is provisioned. Thus, you need to wait for the installation to complete before you can start using the app. Your Apps can be verified for successful installation using the instructions below, while others may require different procedures.

Follow these instructions to verify the installation:

• Attempt to access the app
  An App has an estimated deployment time of about 1-2 minutes. If you can successfully access it, the installation has been completed successfully. You can connect using the connection URL of the instance, which will also be provided after the instance is provisioned.
• Check instance logs and events
  After successfully deploying your Django App, it will produce logs and events, which you can check for any issues or errors.

Common Errors

Docker Fails When Building on Apple Silicon

Docker images built with Apple Silicon (or another ARM64 based architecture) can create issues when deploying the images to a Linux or Windows-based AMD64 environment. Before running the docker build command, you must run this command in your terminal:

export DOCKER_DEFAULT_PLATFORM=linux/amd64