Django Setup Application - Complete Technical Guide

Overview

This is a complete Django full-stack application with Docker setup that includes:

• Django Web Console (CRUD with Bootstrap)
• Django REST API (CRUD operations)
• Django WebSocket + Channels + Redis (Chat Application)
• Django Celery (Background Tasks and Scheduling)
• Django + PostgreSQL database

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• Git (optional, for version control)
• Basic knowledge of Django and Docker

Running the Application

1. Start Docker Containers

docker-compose up --build

2. Run Migrations

In a new terminal:

docker-compose exec django python manage.py makemigrations
docker-compose exec django python manage.py migrate

3. Create Superuser

docker-compose exec django python manage.py createsuperuser

4. Collect Static Files

docker-compose exec django python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

Accessing the Application

• Web Console: http://localhost:8000/
• REST API: http://localhost:8000/api/items/
• Chat Application: http://localhost:8000/chat/
• Django Admin: http://localhost:8000/admin/

Running Background Tasks

Run a Sample Task

docker-compose exec web python manage.py shell -c "
from apps.tasks.tasks import sample_background_task;
result = sample_background_task.delay('test parameter');
print(f'Task ID: {result.id}')
"

Schedule Periodic Tasks

1. Go to Django Admin: http://localhost:8000/admin/
2. Navigate to "Periodic Tasks"
3. Create a new periodic task using the scheduled_task function

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Static Files Not Loading

# Collect static files
docker-compose exec web python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

# Check static files directory
docker-compose exec web ls -la staticfiles/

2. Migration Issues

# Show migration status
docker-compose exec web python manage.py showmigrations

# Reset migrations (⚠️ For development only)
docker-compose exec web python manage.py migrate console zero
docker-compose exec web python manage.py makemigrations console
docker-compose exec web python manage.py migrate

Features Summary

1. Django Web Console

• Full CRUD operations with Bootstrap UI
• Comprehensive form with all Django field types
• File uploads (images, documents)
• Rich form validation
• Responsive design

2. Django REST API

• Full CRUD API endpoints
• JSON serialization
• Authentication support -Browsable API interface

3. WebSocket Chat Application

• Real-time messaging
• Persistent message storage
• Connection management
• Reconnection handling
• Bootstrap-styled interface

4. Celery Background Tasks

• Asynchronous task processing
• Scheduled tasks with Celery Beat
• Task monitoring
• Database-backed results

5. PostgreSQL Database

• Production-ready database
• Data persistence
• Proper indexing
• Relationship handling

6. Redis Integration

• WebSocket channel layer
• Celery broker
• Caching support
• High performance