Deploying a Django project from your local environment to a live server is one of the most rewarding steps in web development. It’s when your project finally becomes accessible to the world. Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to help you deploy your Django app smoothly in 2025.
Step 1: Prepare Your Project for Deployment
Before anything, make sure your project is production-ready.
Turn off Debug Mode:
DEBUG = False
Add your domain or IP in ALLOWED_HOSTS:
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['yourdomain.com', 'www.yourdomain.com']
Collect all static files:
python manage.py collectstatic
Step 2: Choose a Hosting Platform
In 2025, popular Django hosting options include:
🧩 PythonAnywhere (beginner-friendly)
☁️ DigitalOcean (full control VPS)
⚙️ Render or Railway (modern cloud hosting)
🔥 AWS EC2 (enterprise-level scalability)
Each offers SSH access and database support, making deployment straightforward.
Step 3: Set Up a Virtual Environment on the Server
Once you’ve connected to your server via SSH:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-pip python3-venv
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
Then install dependencies:
pip install -r requirements.txt
Step 4: Configure Your Database
If using PostgreSQL or MySQL, make sure you’ve updated your settings.py file:
DATABASES = {
'default': {
'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
'NAME': 'dbname',
'USER': 'dbuser',
'PASSWORD': 'dbpassword',
'HOST': 'localhost',
'PORT': '',
}
}
Run migrations:
python manage.py migrate
Step 5: Set Up Gunicorn and Nginx
Gunicorn serves your Django app; Nginx handles incoming HTTP requests.
Install Gunicorn:
pip install gunicorn
gunicorn --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 projectname.wsgi
Then configure Nginx as a reverse proxy:
sudo apt install nginx
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/projectname
Example config:
server {
listen 80;
server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
location /static/ {
root /home/username/projectname;
}
location / {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
}
}
Enable and restart Nginx:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/projectname /etc/nginx/sites-enabled
sudo systemctl restart nginx
Step 6: Secure Your Site with HTTPS
Install Certbot for free SSL from Let’s Encrypt:
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com
Step 7: Test Your Deployment
Visit your domain in a browser — if everything’s set up correctly, your Django project is live! 🎉
If you see errors, check logs using:
sudo journalctl -u gunicorn
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log
💡 Final Tip
Automate future deployments with GitHub Actions or CI/CD pipelines. This ensures every push updates your live project automatically.
Technical Insights
By Abishek Khawas • Oct 23, 2025
How to Deploy a Django Project on a Live Server Step-by-Step
By Abishek Khawas • Oct 23, 2025
