{"id":144,"date":"2025-04-18T11:17:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T11:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingstatue.com\/?p=144"},"modified":"2025-04-18T11:17:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T11:17:52","slug":"how-url-dispatching-works-in-django-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/?p=144","title":{"rendered":"How URL dispatching works in Django project?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a Django project, URL dispatching<\/strong> is the process of mapping URLs to corresponding views<\/strong>. When a user sends a request to a Django application, Django uses a URL dispatcher to determine which view function<\/strong> or class-based view<\/strong> should handle the request based on the URL pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it Works \u2013 Step by Step:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. User sends a request<\/strong> (e.g., https:\/\/example.com\/about\/<\/code>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Django checks the urlpatterns<\/code> defined in the main urls.py<\/code> file (usually inside the project folder).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. If matched, it dispatches the request to the corresponding view function.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. The view function processes the request and returns an HTTP response.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Let us create a django project myproject or testproject or myshop <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Create a directory myshop<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. In the windows command prompt in C or D drive enter mkdir myshop<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. cd myshop<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Create a virtual envirnment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. python -m venv myshop_env<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. Activate virtual environment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    7. myshop\\scripts\\activate<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    8. After activating a virtual environment install Django<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    9. pip install django<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    10. Now create a django project<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    11. I use the project name core (you can use myshop or any other name)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Create a django project using the command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      django startproject core <\/strong>. (type dot at the end)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The following directory structure is created<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      myshop\/\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 manage.py\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 core\/  # Main project package\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 __init__.py\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 settings.py\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 urls.py\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 asgi.py\n\u2502   \u2514\u2500\u2500 wsgi.py<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
      1. manage.py<\/strong>

      A command-line tool to run the Django project.

      Used for running the server, creating apps, applying migrations, managing users, etc.

      Example commands:

      python manage.py runserver   # Start the development server
      python manage.py makemigrations   # Create migration files
      python manage.py migrate   # Apply migrations to the database
      python manage.py createsuperuser  # Create an admin user

      2. myshop\/ (Main Project Folder)<\/strong>

      a) __init__.py

      An empty file that tells Python to treat this directory as a package.

      A module<\/strong> is simply a Python file (<\/strong>.py<\/span>)<\/strong> that contains functions, classes, or variables<\/strong>. It allows code to be logically organized.
      A package<\/strong> is a directory that contains a collection of modules and a special file named __init__.py<\/span><\/strong> (can be empty). It allows you to organize related modules together.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
      b) settings.py<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Main configuration file for the Django project.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Contains settings for:\n
          \n
        • Database Configuration<\/strong> (DATABASES)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Installed Apps<\/strong> (INSTALLED_APPS)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Middleware<\/strong> (MIDDLEWARE)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Templates Configuration<\/strong> (TEMPLATES)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Static and Media Files<\/strong> (STATIC_URL, MEDIA_URL)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          INSTALLED_APPS = [\n    'django.contrib.admin',\n    'django.contrib.auth',\n    'django.contrib.contenttypes',\n    'django.contrib.sessions',\n    'django.contrib.messages',\n    'django.contrib.staticfiles',   \n]\n\nMIDDLEWARE = [\n    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',\n    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',\n    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',\n    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',\n    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',\n    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',\n    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',\n]\n\nROOT_URLCONF = 'core.urls'\n\nTEMPLATES = [\n    {\n        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',        \n        'DIRS': <\/strong>\n        'APP_DIRS': True,\n        'OPTIONS': {\n            'context_processors': [\n                'django.template.context_processors.request',\n                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',\n                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',\n            ],\n        },\n    },\n]\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
          In the TEMPLATES add a value for the dictionary key ‘DIRS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
          TEMPLATES = [\n    {\n        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',        \n        'DIRS': [BASE_DIR\/'templates'], #Added by VBhat on 15\/04\/2025<\/strong>\n        'APP_DIRS': True,\n        'OPTIONS': {\n            'context_processors': [\n                'django.template.context_processors.request',\n                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',\n                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',\n            ],\n        },\n    },\n]<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
          Create a folder templates (to store html files) under myshop folder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
          Now the directory structure is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
          myshop\/\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 manage.py\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 templates (Django template files, html files are stored in this directory)\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 core\/ # Main project package\n\u2502 \u2502\u2500\u2500 __init__.py\n\u2502 \u2502\u2500\u2500 settings.py\n\u2502 \u2502\u2500\u2500 urls.py\n\u2502 \u2502\u2500\u2500 asgi.py\n\u2502 \u2514\u2500\u2500 wsgi.py<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
          c) urls.py<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Defines URL routing patterns for the project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            from django.contrib import admin\nfrom django.urls import path\nurlpatterns = [\n    path('admin\/', admin.site.urls),]\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
            d) asgi.py & wsgi.py<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • wsgi.py<\/strong>: Entry point for WSGI applications. Used for deploying Django projects on production servers. (WSGI servers e.g., Gunicorn, uWSGI))<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • asgi.py<\/strong>: Entry point for ASGI applications for async operations (WebSockets, real-time applications)..<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              Now create a Django application using the following command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
              python manage.py startapp testapp<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
              The directory structure is updated as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
              myshop\/\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 manage.py\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 templates (Django template files, html files are stored in this directory)\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 core\/  # Main project package\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 __init__.py\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 settings.py\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 urls.py\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 asgi.py\n\u2502   \u2514\u2500\u2500 wsgi.py\n\n\u2514\u2500\u2500 testapp\/  (Created when running `startapp`)\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 migrations\/\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 __init__.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 admin.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 apps.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 models.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 tests.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 views.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 tests.py    \n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
              Create and apply migrations<\/strong> using the following commands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
              python manage.py makemigrations myapp\npython manage.py migrate<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
              This will create migration files in the created app also create database tables for the modes defined in the django applications<\/p>\n\n\n\n
              Create urls.py file under testapp<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
              Create a templates directory under testapp and test directory under template directory<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
              This is to store application specific html template files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
              Now the directory structure is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
              myshop\/\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 manage.py\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 templates (Django template files html files are stored in this directory)\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 db.sqlite3 (sqlite database file)\n\u2502\u2500\u2500 myproject\/  # Main project package\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 __init__.py\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 settings.py\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 urls.py\n\u2502   \u2502\u2500\u2500 asgi.py\n\u2502   \u2514\u2500\u2500 wsgi.py\n\n\u2514\u2500\u2500 testapp\/  (Created when running `startapp`)\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 migrations\/\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 __init__.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 admin.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 apps.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 models.py \n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 tests.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 views.py (view functions are added in this file)\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 tests.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 templates\/test (To store application specific html template files)\n    \u2514\u2500\u2500 urls.py  (Manually created for app-specific routes)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
              3. db.sqlite3 (Database)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Default SQLite database file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • You can use PostgreSQL, MySQL, or other databases<\/strong> in settings.py, corresponding database engine has to be added in settings.py file<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                Each Django project can have multiple apps, each responsible for a specific functionality and an app has its own structure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                4. testapp\/ (Django App)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                We have created django application “testapp<\/strong>” has its own structure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • migrations\/<\/strong> \u2192 Stores database migration files (generated by makemigrations)..<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • models.py<\/strong> \u2192 Defines the database models (tables) using Django ORM<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • views.py<\/strong> \u2192 Contains logic for handling user requests and handles the logic for rendering webpages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • urls.py<\/strong> (manually created) \u2192 Defines URLs specific to the app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • admin.py<\/strong> \u2192 Registers models for Django’s admin panel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • apps.py<\/strong> \u2192 Defines configuration for the app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • tests.py<\/strong> \u2192 Contains test cases for the app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • templates\/ (HTML Files)<\/strong> Stores HTML templates for rendering dynamic webpages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  Update urls.py (project specific mail url file) file in the myshop directory as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  myshop\/urls.py<\/code> (Main URL Configuration)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  from django.contrib import admin\nfrom django.urls import path,include\n\nurlpatterns = [\n    path('admin\/', admin.site.urls),\n    # For every django application add a path to include a application specific urls\n    path('', include('testapp.urls')), # Delegates to app's URL config\n    ]<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
                  Update urls.py file in testapp directory <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  testapp\/urls.py<\/code> (App URL Configuration)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  from django.urls import path\nfrom . import views\n\nurlpatterns = [\n    path('', views.home, name='home'),\n    path('about\/', views.about, name='about'),\n]<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
                  Update views.py file in testapp<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  testapp\/views.py<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  from django.http import HttpResponse\n\ndef home(request):\n   return HttpResponse(\"Welcome to the Home Page!\")\n\ndef about(request):\n  return HttpResponse(\"This is the About Page.\")<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
                  <\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  In the command prompt run the development server using the command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  python manage.py runserver<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  (myshop_env) D:\\django\\myshop>python manage.py runserver\nWatching for file changes with StatReloader\nPerforming system checks...\n\nSystem check identified no issues (0 silenced).\nApril 18, 2025 - 16:22:03\nDjango version 5.2, using settings 'core.settings'\nStarting development server at http:\/\/127.0.0.1:8000\/\nQuit the server with CTRL-BREAK.\n\nWARNING: This is a development server. Do not use it in a production setting. Use a production WSGI or ASGI server instead.\nFor more information on production servers see: https:\/\/docs.djangoproject.com\/en\/5.2\/howto\/deployment\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
                  How URL Dispatching Works ?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  1. In a web browser (chrome or edge) type http:\/\/127.0.0.1\/about\/<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. Django looks at myshop\/urls.py<\/code> and includes urls from testapp<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  3. It then checks testapp\/urls.py<\/code> and finds path('about\/', views.about)<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  4. It calls the about<\/code> <\/strong>view function, which returns an HttpResponse<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  5. In the browser you will see “This is the About Page.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                    Now let us add few more URL patterns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                    #testapp\/urls.py<\/code> (App URL Configuration)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                    from django.urls import path\nfrom . import views\n\nurlpatterns = [\n    path('', views.home, name='home'),\n    path('about\/', views.about, name='about'),\n    path('greet\/<str:name>\/', views.greet_user, name='greet'),\n    path('wish\/<str:name>\/',views.wish_user, name='wish'),\n]<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
                    Add a view function (greet) in views.py file<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                    #testapp\/views.py<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                    \nfrom django.http import HttpResponse\n\ndef home(request):\n     return HttpResponse(\"Welcome to the Home Page!\")\n\ndef about_user(request):\n    return HttpResponse(\"This is the About Page.\")\n\ndef greet_user(request, name):\n    return HttpResponse(f\"Namaskara, {name}!\")\n\ndef wish_user(request, name):\n    context = {\"name\": name}\n    print(\"context\", context)\n    return render(request, 'test\/test1.html',context)               \n \n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
                    In the testapp under templates\/test directory, create a test1.html file <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                    \u2514\u2500\u2500 testapp\/  (Created when running `startapp`)\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 migrations\/\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 __init__.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 admin.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 apps.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 models.py \n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 tests.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 views.py (view functions are added in this file)\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 tests.py\n    \u2502\u2500\u2500 templates\/test\/<\/strong>\n    \u2514\u2500\u2500 urls.py  (Manually created for app-specific routes)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
                    testapp\/tesmplates\/test\/test1.html<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                    <!DOCTYPE html>\n<html lang=\"en\">\n<head>\n    <meta charset=\"UTF-8\">\n    <meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0\">\n    <title>Document<\/title>\n<\/head>\n<body>\n    {% if name %}\n    \n    <h1> Namaskara {{name}} !, How are you?<\/h1> \n    {% else %}  \n    <h1> Namaskara! How are you?<\/h1> \n    {% endif %}\n\n<\/body>\n<\/html><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
                    How URL Dispatching Works<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    1. In a web browser (chrome or edge) type http:\/\/127.0.0.1\/greet\/Rama\/<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    2. Django looks at myshop\/urls.py<\/code> and includes urls from testapp<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    3. It then checks testapp\/urls.py<\/code> and finds path('greet\/', views.greet_user)<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    4. It calls the greet_user<\/strong><\/code> view function, which returns an HttpResponse<\/code> (Rama)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    5. In the browser you will see “Namaskara Rama.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      1. In a web browser (chrome or edge) type http:\/\/127.0.0.1\/wish\/Rama\/<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      2. Django looks at myshop\/urls.py<\/code> and includes urls from testapp<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      3. It then checks testapp\/urls.py<\/code> and finds path('wish\/', views.wish_user)<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      4. It calls the wish_user<\/strong> view function, which returns test1.html with context<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      5. test1.html is a django template file, django checks if name exists if it exists places value of name in the {{name}} and passes “Namaskara Rama!, How are you?” to the browser, if name do not exist then “Namaskara!, How are you?” is passed to the browser.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      6. In the browser you will see “Namaskara Rama !, How are You?”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                        Try yourself: Add more url patters, create view functions, create html file<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
                        In a Django project, URL dispatching is the process of mapping URLs to corresponding views. When a user sends a request to a Django application, Django uses a URL dispatcher…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[47,48,69],"class_list":["post-144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-django","tag-djang-app","tag-django","tag-project"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kingstatue.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}