Setting Up the Environment

Installing Python and pip

1. Download Python

   • Visit the official Python website and download the latest stable version.
   • Follow the installation instructions for your operating system (Windows, Linux, MacOS).
   • Ensure you select the option to add Python to your system PATH during installation.

2. Verify Installation

   • Open your terminal or command line interface (CLI).

   • Check the version of Python installed:

     python --version

   • Check the version of pip:

     pip --version

Setting up a Virtual Environment

1. Create a Virtual Environment

   • Navigate to the directory where you want to create your project. For example:

     cd Users/Documents/project

   • Create a virtual environment:

     python -m venv myvenv

   • Replace myvenv with your preferred virtual environment name.

2. Activating the Virtual Environment

   • Depending on your OS, activate the virtual environment:

   • Your CLI prompt should now display the name of your virtual environment, indicating it's active.

3. Verify pip in the Virtual Environment

   • After activating the virtual environment, ensure pip is correctly set up:

     pip --version

Installing Django

1. Install Django

   • With your virtual environment activated, install Django using pip:

     python -m pip install django

2. Verify Django Installation

   • Check the installed Django version:

     python -m django --version
   • This command displays the installed Django version in your terminal.

Configuring the Database

• Django supports various database servers including PostgreSQL, MariaDB, MySQL, Oracle, and SQLite. All are officially supported and can be seamlessly configured with your Django application.
• If using manage.py migrate to create database tables, ensure Django has the necessary permissions (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) for database operations.
• Update database details in your project's settings.py under the DATABASES configuration.

Conclusion

You've now set up your development environment with Python, pip, a virtual environment, and Django. Activate your virtual environment whenever working on Django projects to maintain dependency isolation and manageability.