Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing Django, it's important to update your Ubuntu 22.04 system to ensure all packages are up-to-date. Run the following commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Keeping your system updated ensures that you have the latest security patches and software versions. This is important whether you're working locally or hosting your applications on a UK Windows VPS.

Step 2: Install Python and pip

Django is a Python framework, so you'll need Python installed on your system. Ubuntu 22.04 comes with Python 3 pre-installed, but you should ensure that both Python and pip (Python package manager) are installed:

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip

You can verify the installation by checking the versions:

python3 --version

pip3 --version

With Python and pip installed, you are now ready to install Django, whether you're developing on your local system or on a VPS Windows Servers environment.

Step 3: Install Django Using pip

The easiest way to install Django is via pip, Python's package manager. Run the following command to install Django:

pip3 install django

After the installation is complete, you can verify it by checking the installed Django version:

django-admin --version

This will show the version of Django that is installed. This installation method is suitable whether you're working on a local development machine or deploying on a Windows VPS hosting UK platform.

Step 4: Set Up a Django Project

Once Django is installed, you can create a new Django project. Navigate to the directory where you want to create your project and run the following command:

django-admin startproject myproject

This will create a new directory called myproject with the necessary files for your Django application. You can navigate into the project directory using:

cd myproject

Whether you're developing locally or hosting on a Windows Virtual Private Server hosting platform, this project structure will help you get started quickly.

Step 5: Run the Django Development Server

Django includes a lightweight development server that allows you to test your applications. To run the server, use the following command inside your project directory:

python3 manage.py runserver

By default, the development server runs on port 8000. You can access it by opening a web browser and navigating to:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/

If you're deploying on a server and want to make the development server publicly accessible, you can bind it to your server's IP address:

python3 manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

This setup works whether you're developing locally or deploying on a VPS Windows hosting platform.

Step 6: Set Up a Virtual Environment (Optional)

It's a good practice to use virtual environments when working with Python projects. Virtual environments allow you to isolate dependencies for each project. You can create a virtual environment using the following command:

python3 -m venv myenv

Activate the virtual environment with:

source myenv/bin/activate

Once the virtual environment is activated, you can install Django and other dependencies within it. This practice ensures that your projects remain isolated and avoids conflicts between packages. It's ideal for both local development and environments hosted on Windows VPS Italy.