2010
Django with virtualenv on Webfaction
I really like the Django web framework and I like virtualenv enabling me to use different python configs and packages for different projects. And I have to say I like Webfaction, so easy, so good! (No, I don't get paid by them) This is a quick guide on how to setup Django in virtualenv using mod_wsgi with a Webfaction account.
- Create an "mod_wsgi" application and create a website to use this application
- connect to your accounts shell using ssh
- enable Python 2.6.x as default python (as written in the Webfaction documentation)
- run "vi ~/.bash_profile"
- append the line "alias python=python2.6" (navigate to the last line, push "i" for insertion, write the line, push escape)
- save the file and exit (enter ":wq")
- reload the bash profile "source ~/.bash_profile"
- ensure it worked by checking the Python version "python -V"
- install "pip" and "virtualenv" (be sure to use easy_install-2.6 to use the setuptools of Python 2.6.x):
- enter "easy_install-2.6 -U pip"
- enter "easy_install-2.6 -U virtualenv"
- I like yolk, that enables you to list the installed Python packages, install it using pip if you like
- "pip install yolk"
- Note that these packages (pip, virtualenv, yolk) are installed in your global Python. I recommend to not install any more packages to the global installation as virtualenv enables use to install all packages we need into the virtualenv Python lib.
- navigate to your recently create mod_wsgi webapp, there should be 2 folders, "apache2" and "htdocs"
- create the virtualenv for your project in the wenapp folder, name it like you want, I'll use "ve" here
- "virtualenv --no-site-packages --distribute ve"
- a new folder "ve" with the virtualenv was created. Please refer to the virualenv documentation for more information and usage of virtualenv.
- Now let's install yolk into the virtualenv to see which packages are in there
- either activate the virtualenv and install:
- "source ve/bin/activate"
- "pip install yolk"
- or use pip magic to install into an virtualenv without activating it:
- "pip -E ve install yolk"
- either activate the virtualenv and install:
- now you activate the virtualenv and execute yolk:
- "source ve/bin/activate"
- "yolk -l"
- "deactivate"
- Install Django and any requirements the same way as demonstrated for yolk.
- Assuming you installed Django into the virtualenv and created a Django project, we now must adjust the Apache config
- backup the httpd.conf from /webapps/<yourdjangoapp>/apache2/conf
- create a django.wsgi file somewhere in your webapp dirdctory (I use the conf folder of apache)
- scan the httpd.conf for "Listen XXX", XXX ist the webapp port
- remove the <Directory>...</Directory> segment
- append the following telling the Apache to use the wsgi config we create in the next step:
NameVirtualHost *:<webapp-port>
<VirtualHost *:<webapp-port>>
ServerName <SomeServerName>
WSGIScriptAlias / /home/<your-username>/webapps/<your-webapp-name>/apache2/conf/django.wsgi
</VirtualHost>
- Edit the django.wsgi file:
#!/usr/bin/python
import os, sys, site
# add virtualenv python libs
site.addsitedir('/home/<your-username>/webapps/<your-webapp-name>/ve/lib/python2.6/site-packages')
# append the project path to system path
sys.path.append(/home/<your-username>/webapps/<your-webapp-name>/ve/')
sys.path.append('/home/<your-username>/webapps/<your-webapp-name>/ve/<your-django-project-name>')
# set the settings module
os.environ['DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'] = '<your-django-project-name>.settings'
# init the wsgi handler
from django.core.handlers.wsgi import WSGIHandler
application = WSGIHandler()
- Restart the Apache (/home/<your-username>/webappas/<your-webapp-name>/apache2/bin/restart) and everything should be fine!