How to Create an App in Django

Django apps are separate modules that handle specific features in a web project, helping keep code clean and organized.

• Each application is responsible for a particular function, such as handling data, managing pages or facilitating routing.
• A Django project works as the main setup that brings multiple apps together.
• Every app contains its own models, views, templates and URLs.
• Example apps include: a Posts app for creating and showing blog articles, a Comments app for adding and moderating user comments and a Users app for login, signup, and profile features.

Pre-Installed Apps

Django includes several pre-installed apps for convenience. To view them, check the INSTALLED_APPS section in settings.py. The apps listed there are provided by Django to simplify development.

Before creating apps in a Django project, ensure the project folder exists. If it doesn’t, create it using the following command:

django-admin startproject project_name

Steps to Create Apps

Step 1: Navigate to the Project Directory

Open the terminal and navigate to the root directory of the Django project, where the manage.py file is located:

cd project_name

Step 2: Create a New App

Create a Django app with the following command:

python manage.py startapp projectApp

This will generate a directory structure like:

Step 3: Register the App in Project's settings.py

Open project_name/settings.py and add app to the INSTALLED_APPS list:

Step 4: Include App URLs in Project URLs

After creating the app, connect its URLs to the main project so Django can route requests to the app’s views. In the main project’s urls.py file located at project_name/project_name/urls.py, import:

from django.urls import include

In the urlpatterns list, add the following line to include the app’s URLs:

Note: Django uses the project-level urls.py file for routing and app URLs are included using include().

Step 5: Create urls.py in App

The app requires its own urls.py to define view routes. If it doesn’t exist, create it inside the projectApp directory:

Step 6: Create a View

In projectApp/views.py, define a view that will return a simple response:

Step 7: Run the Development Server

python manage.py runserver

Visit the application in your browser at: http://127.0.0.1:8000/

Django App Features

• Modularity: Apps are loosely coupled and can be developed independently.
• Reusability: Apps can be reused across multiple Django projects.
• Collaboration: Different teams can work on separate apps simultaneously.
• Organization: Helps maintain clean, structured and manageable code.
• Built-in Features: Provides tools like admin panel, authentication and middleware to speed up development.

Related Articles:

• Create a Basic Project using MVT
• ORM