Set up Django on Windows 8 with Python 2.7

This posts documents the steps I took to set up Django on my Windows 8 box.

What is Django

Django is a high-level Python Web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design.

Who Uses Django

Disqus, Instagram, Mozilla, Pinterest, and many more

Tested Steps to Install Django on Windows 8

The installation instruction on django site is extremely helpful.

Below are the steps I took to install Django on my Windows 8 box

1) Install Python 2.7
Though the latest Python version is version 3.3, Django’s support for python 3.2 and 3.3 are only experimental

Download python 2.7: http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.7/

Install with all default settings (just click next all the way)

When done, the Python 2.7 is installed in C:\Python27

2) Install official release of Django

https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.5/topics/install/#installing-official-release

– use the standalone pip installer

2.1) download ez_setup.py and get-pip.py and save them to a directory say c:\dev\python

2.2) Install pip

cd c:\dev\python
python ez_setup.py
cd c:\dev\python
python get-pip.py

2.3) Install Django source using pip
Open a Windows commandline prompt: Ctrl+r and type “cmd”
Test by typing “pip” at the command-line prompt
If pip is not found, then the $PATH may not be set correctly.

  • You could either add c:\Python27\Scripts (if your python2.7 is installed under C:\Python27) to the PATH. If you don’t know how to do this, see here
  • Or you can run C:\Python27\Scripts\pip
pip install Django

or

c:\Python27\Scripts\pip install Django

3) Verify Django install

$py
>>>import django
>>>print (django.get_version())
1.5.5

54 Comments

  1. This excellent website certainly has all of the information I wanted about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.

  2. Alex

    Thank you for putting in there to check your PATH. It was the one step I forgot and was starting to frustrate me. Easiest and best instructions online.

    • Jessica Chiang

      Hey Alex, I am glad that it helped you out 🙂 Yep, the simplest step is often the step we’ve missed.

  3. dawhud

    Hello Jessy, thanks for the post. Found it really useful. I have the same ambition of being a cartoonist too. Have you started the learning process?

    • Jessica Chiang

      Hi Dawhud,
      Great to hear from you !
      I have always loved doodling but my dream is to one day make animation but I have not had much time to work on that yet -_-

  4. Aparna

    I followed all the steps still getting Error as:
    Exception:
    Traceback (most recent call last):
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\basecommand.py”, l
    ine 122, in main
    status = self.run(options, args)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\commands\install.p
    y”, line 278, in run
    requirement_set.prepare_files(finder, force_root_egg_info=self.bundle, bundl
    e=self.bundle)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\req.py”, line 1177
    , in prepare_files
    url = finder.find_requirement(req_to_install, upgrade=self.upgrade)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\index.py”, line 19
    4, in find_requirement
    page = self._get_page(main_index_url, req)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\index.py”, line 56
    8, in _get_page
    session=self.session,
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\index.py”, line 67
    0, in get_page
    resp = session.get(url, headers={“Accept”: “text/html”})
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\_vendor\requests\s
    essions.py”, line 468, in get
    return self.request(‘GET’, url, **kwargs)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\download.py”, line
    237, in request
    return super(PipSession, self).request(method, url, *args, **kwargs)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\_vendor\requests\s
    essions.py”, line 456, in request
    resp = self.send(prep, **send_kwargs)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\_vendor\requests\s
    essions.py”, line 559, in send
    r = adapter.send(request, **kwargs)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\_vendor\requests\a
    dapters.py”, line 305, in send
    conn = self.get_connection(request.url, proxies)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\_vendor\requests\a
    dapters.py”, line 215, in get_connection
    block=self._pool_block)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\_vendor\requests\p
    ackages\urllib3\poolmanager.py”, line 258, in proxy_from_url
    return ProxyManager(proxy_url=url, **kw)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\_vendor\requests\p
    ackages\urllib3\poolmanager.py”, line 207, in __init__
    proxy = parse_url(proxy_url)
    File “C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip-1.5.6-py2.7.egg\pip\_vendor\requests\p
    ackages\urllib3\util\url.py”, line 134, in parse_url
    raise LocationParseError(url)
    LocationParseError: Failed to parse: proxyserver:proxyport

    Storing debug log for failure in C:\Users\Aparna\pip\pip.log

  5. Jessica

    thanks for the attempt at making this easy.
    Your the only one who even tried to make it easy.

    I am stuck on step 3

    • Jessica Chiang

      Hi Troy,
      What problem were you having on step 3? Did you open a terminal and type “py”?

    • Jessica Chiang

      Thank you Afolabi! The Toon Boom software suite looks really easy to use. Would love it check it out some time. Did you create any animations with it?

  6. pratik

    Thank u very much
    from many days i had tried to install django but not successfully inserted
    now i got the installation of django in window 8

  7. Hi, Your
    “https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.5/topics/install/#installing-official-release”
    ought to be updated to
    “https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.7/topics/install/#installing-official-release”.

  8. I’m puzzled by “The installation instruction on django site is extremely helpful.”

    The reason i came here was because i found the installation instruction on the Django site very UN-helpful. I’ll be asking you for help, if that’s still OK?

  9. I have read your article in great interest.
    I am new to Python and Django.
    So I spent so much time for setting up environment .
    At last after reading yours,I could got it.
    Thank you.

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