# Introduction

Hosting a Django application on shared hosting can be challenging due to certain limitations, but it is possible. In this guide, we will walk through the process of deploying a Django app on shared hosting using cPanel. If you're working on a small project, a personal website, or a learning experiment, shared hosting can be an affordable option. However, for production-level applications, VPS or cloud hosting is highly recommended.

Why Shared Hosting is Not Ideal for Django Apps

Before we dive into the setup process, let’s understand why shared hosting is not the best choice for Django applications:

• Limited Customization: Shared hosting does not allow full customization of server settings, which may be required for Django apps.
• Resource Sharing: Your app will share resources with other websites, potentially slowing it down.
• Security Risks: Multiple websites running on the same server increase security vulnerabilities.
• Limited Python Support: Most shared hosting providers do not support Python applications by default, making the setup process more complex.

Despite these limitations, shared hosting is useful for small-scale projects where high performance and flexibility are not critical.

Step 1: Prepare Your Django Project Locally

Before uploading your project to shared hosting, ensure it is working properly on your local machine.

1. Activate the Virtual Environment:

   source venv/bin/activate  # On macOS/Linux
   venv\Scripts\activate  # On Windows

2. Run the Development Server:

   python manage.py runserver

3. Open your browser and test your Django app.

Step 2: Upload Your Django Project to cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Open File Manager
3. Upload Your Project:
   • You can either upload a compressed .zip file of your project and extract it. or
   • Clone your repository using Git (if available on your hosting provider) for that you need to setup ssh keys.
4. Extract the Uploaded File:
   • Once uploaded, extract the .zip file in the appropriate directory.

Step 3: Set Up a Python Application in cPanel

1. Now Open “Setup Python App” in cPanel
2. Create a New Application:
   • Select the Python version (use the same version as your local environment, e.g., Python 3.12).
   • Set the application root (directory where your Django app is located).
   • Choose a domain or subdomain.
   • leave blank application startup file and entry point.
3. Now Create the Application

Step 4: Install Dependencies

1. Now Open Terminal from cPanel

2. Activate the Virtual Environment(you can find the virtual env path in your python app from step3):

   source /home/your_username/virtualenv/app_name/3.12/bin/activate

3. Install Requirements:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 5: Configure Database

• If you are using SQLite, no additional configuration is needed.
• For MySQL/PostgreSQL:
  1. Create a database in cPanel.
  2. Update settings.py with database credentials.

  3. Run migrations:

     python manage.py makemigrations
     python manage.py migrate

Step 6: Update passanger_wsgi.py

To help you locate the passanger_wsgi.py file, here’s a typical Django project structure:

my_project/
- manage.py
- my_project/
  - __init__.py
  - settings.py
  - urls.py
  - wsgi.py  <-- This is the file to be imported
- app/
  - models.py
  - views.py
  - urls.py
- static/
- templates/
- requirements.txt
- passanger_wsgi.py  <-- This is the file to update

1. Open passanger_wsgi.py in cPanel’s file manager.

2. Add the following lines to import the application:

   from my_project.wsgi import application

3. Save the file.

Step 7: Collect Static Files

To serve static files correctly, you need to correct the  STATIC_ROOT. Set it to the STATIC_ROOT= "/home/<cpanel_username>/public_html/static" or  if you are using subdomain then  STATIC_ROOT="/home/<cpanel_username>/<subdomain>/static". and then run the command to collect the static files on server.

python manage.py collectstatic

Then, restart the application from the cPanel Python app manager.

Step 8: Test Your Deployed App

1. Open your domain in the browser.
2. If everything is set up correctly, your Django app should be running.
3. Test features to confirm that everything works as expected.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully deployed your Django app on shared hosting using cPanel. While shared hosting is not the best choice for Django applications, it works for small-scale projects. If you encounter any errors, feel free to ask in the comments section of the tutorial video on YouTube or check the logs in cPanel for troubleshooting.