General syntax:

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python manage.py <command>

Project Setup

Create migrations

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python manage.py makemigrations

Generate migration files based on model changes.

Apply migrations

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python manage.py migrate

Apply migrations to the database.

Show migration status

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python manage.py showmigrations

See applied and pending migrations.

Development Server

Start server

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python manage.py runserver

Default: http://127.0.0.1:8000/

Start on custom port

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python manage.py runserver 8080

Runs development server on port 8080

Expose to local network

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python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Apps

Create new app

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python manage.py startapp blog

Creates Django app structure.

Users / Admin

Create superuser

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python manage.py createsuperuser

Used for Django admin access.

Change password

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python manage.py changepassword username

Shell / Debugging

Open Django shell

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python manage.py shell

Useful for testing models and queries.

Example:

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python manage.py shell

Inside shell:

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from blog.models import BlogPostModel
BlogPostModel.objects.all()

Static Files

Collect static files (production)

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python manage.py collectstatic

Copies static files into one target directory.

Testing

Run all tests

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python manage.py test

Run specific app tests

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python manage.py test blog

Database Utilities

SQL for migrations

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python manage.py sqlmigrate blog 0001

Flush database

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python manage.py flush

Deletes data, keeps schema.

Useful Flags

Specify settings file

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python manage.py runserver --settings=main.settings.prod

Verbose output

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python manage.py migrate --verbosity 2

Common Workflow

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python manage.py startapp blog
python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py createsuperuser
python manage.py runserver