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 in Django

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 in django

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:

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'projectApp' #  Add app here
]

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 urls.py of the main project directory (project_name/projectApp), import:

from django.urls import include

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

from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),  # Admin panel URL
    path('', include("projectApp.urls")),  # Include app URLs
]

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:

from django.urls import path
from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    path('', views.index, name='index'),
]

Step 6: Create a View

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

from django.http import HttpResponse

def index(request):
    return HttpResponse("Hello, Geeks! Welcome to your first Django app.")

Optional: Update ROOT_URLCONF

By default, Django sets ROOT_URLCONF = 'project.urls' in settings.py as the main URL routing file. It’s recommended to leave this setting unchanged unless advanced routing is required.

For direct app routing:

ROOT_URLCONF = 'app.urls'

Step 7: Run the Development Server

python manage.py runserver

Visit:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/

Django App Features

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