Django is a Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Django is free and open source, and takes care of much of the hassle of web development, so you can focus on writing your app without needing to reinvent the wheel. It’s also easy to learn and doesn’t take long to get up and running.
Kotlin is a statically typed programming language for modern multiplatform applications. Kotlin is 100% interoperable with Java, so it’s easy to get started with Kotlin if you’re already familiar with Java. Kotlin is also more concise than Java, so you can write less code and get more done.
In this article, we’ll show you how to build a web application using the Django web framework and the Kotlin programming language. We’ll walk you through the steps of setting up a development environment, creating a new Django project, and adding a simple page to the project. By the end of this article, you’ll have a basic understanding of how to build a web application with Django and Kotlin.
Before you can start building your web application, you’ll need to set up a development environment. If you’re new to Python, we recommend using Anaconda, which is a distribution of Python that includes the most popular Python packages for data science.
If you’re using Anaconda, you can install Django with the following command:
conda install -c anaconda django
If you’re not using Anaconda, you can install Django with the pip package manager:
pip install django
You can verify that Django is installed by running the following command:
django-admin --version
You should see the Django version number printed to the console.
Now that you have Django installed, you’re ready to create your first Django project.
Django uses a project structure to organize all the files and code for a web application. A project can contain multiple apps, and each app can have a specific purpose. For example, you might have an app for managing blog posts, another app for managing user accounts, and another app for managing comments.
To create a new Django project, open a terminal window and navigate to the directory where you want to store your project. Then, run the following command:
django-admin startproject mysite
Replace “mysite” with the name of your project. This command will create a new directory called “mysite” with the following structure:
mysite/
manage.py
mysite/
__init__.py
settings.py
urls.py
wsgi.py
The “manage.py” file is a script that helps you manage your Django project. The “mysite” directory contains the files and code for your project. The “settings.py” file contains the configurations for your Django project. The “urls.py” file contains the URL patterns for your project. The “wsgi.py” file is used for deploying your Django project to a web server.
You can learn more about the Django project structure in the Django documentation.
Now that you have a Django project, you can add an app to the project. An app is a Python package that contains all the files and code for a specific purpose.
To create an app, open a terminal window and navigate to the “mysite” directory. Then, run the following command:
django-admin startapp myapp
Replace “myapp” with the name of your app. This command will create a new directory called “myapp” with the following structure:
mysite/
myapp/
__init__.py
admin.py
apps.py
models.py
tests.py
views.py
manage.py
mysite/
__init__.py
settings.py
urls.py
wsgi.py
The “admin.py” file is used for Django’s admin site. The “apps.py” file is used to configure your app. The “models.py” file is used to define the models for your app. The “tests.py” file is used for unit tests. The “views.py” file contains the views for your app.
You can learn more about the files in a Django app in the Django documentation.
Now that you have an app, you can add a view to the app. A view is a Python function that takes an HTTP request and returns an HTTP response.
Open the “views.py” file in your text editor and add the following code:
from django.shortcuts import render
def index(request):
return render(request, 'index.html')
This code defines a view called “index” that renders the “index.html” template.
Next, you’ll need to create the “index.html” template. Django uses the Jinja templating language to render HTML templates.
Create a new directory called “templates” in the “mysite” directory. Then, create a new file called “index.html” in the “templates” directory with the following code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>My Site</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Hello, world!</h1>
</body>
</html>
This code defines a simple HTML page that displays the text “Hello, world!”
Next, you’ll need to configure the “mysite/urls.py” file to map the URL “/” to the “index” view. Open the “mysite/urls.py” file in your text editor and add the following code:
from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path
from myapp.views import index
urlpatterns = [
path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
path('', index),
]
This code imports the “index” view from the “myapp” app and maps the URL “/” to the “index” view.
Now that you have a view and a URL pattern, you can run the Django development server and view your page in a web browser.
To run the Django development server, open a terminal window and navigate to the “mysite” directory. Then, run the following command:
python manage.py runserver
You should see the following output:
Performing system checks...
System check identified no issues (0 silenced).
You have 17 unapplied migration(s). Your project may not work properly until you apply the migrations for app(s): admin, auth, contenttypes, sessions.
Run 'python manage.py migrate' to apply them.
January 01, 2020 - 00:00:00
Django version 3.0, using settings 'mysite.settings'
Starting development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000/
Quit the server with CONTROL-C.
The Django development server is now running on http://127.0.0.1:8000/. You can view your page in a web browser by visiting http://127.0.0.1:8000/.
You should see the following page:
You’ve successfully built a web application using the Django web framework and the Kotlin programming language. In this article, you’ve learned how to set up a development environment, create a new Django project, and add a simple page to the project.
You can find the source code for this article on GitHub.