Django Blog Website

A step-by-step journey of building a functional blog from scratch to deployment.

Have you ever had an idea so big that it felt intimidating to even start? For me, it was building a personal website. Three years ago, I took the first step: I bought a domain name from domain.com. Then… nothing happened.

That’s right — my dream sat idle, gathering digital dust. But today, it’s live and thriving, and I’m excited to share how I went from a parked domain to a working website, complete with all the challenges, learnings, and wins along the way.

Step 1: Buying the Domain (and Letting It Sit)

Back in 2021, I bought my domain name. At the time, I had grand visions for what it could become—a blog, a portfolio, maybe even an e-commerce site. But without the skills or a concrete plan, I did nothing.

Eventually, I moved the domain to GoDaddy. Why? Well, it seemed more popular, and I liked their interface. Plus, their customer support gave me confidence that I could figure things out when I was ready.

Here’s the cost breakdown for my domain journey:

Step 2: Learning Django at Work

The real turning point came when I started working at HostWise. My team had a project to build a password manager using Django, and it introduced me to this powerful Python framework. Django is incredible because it makes creating web apps faster and cleaner.

Here’s why I fell in love with Django:

• Built-in Tools: From authentication to admin panels, Django provides everything you need.
• Scalability: Apps like Instagram and Spotify use Django because it can handle millions of users.
• Ease of Use: Its "batteries-included" philosophy means you don’t need extra libraries for the basics.

Step 3: Dennis Ivy to the Rescue

After getting my feet wet with Django at work, I wanted to build something personal. I found Dennis Ivy’s tutorials on YouTube, and they were a game-changer.

His step-by-step guide helped me:

• Set up a Django project quickly.
• Create a functional backend and frontend.
• Understand best practices for structuring a web app.

If you look at my website, you might still see traces of Dennis Ivy’s template (though I’ve tweaked a lot). My goal is to completely customise it over time.

Step 4: Hosting on PythonAnywhere

Hosting a website felt like the final boss battle. I chose PythonAnywhere because it’s affordable and straightforward for Django projects. While I’m no stranger to GitHub or environment variables, the real challenge was getting everything to work together—ensuring a seamless transition from local development to a live server.

If you’re building your own Django project, here are some suggestions:

• GitHub Integration: If you’re not already using GitHub, start now! It’s invaluable for managing code changes, collaborating with others, and keeping your project history safe.
• Environment Variables: Keep sensitive information like your SECRET_KEY secure by storing them in a .env file. This practice is essential for any modern developer.
• Testing Locally: Always test your code locally before deploying. It’s rewarding to see the same code running smoothly both locally and on the server.

The real learning came in setting everything up together. From configuring ALLOWED_HOSTS to ensuring SSL certificates were correctly applied, each step brought its own challenges. But the satisfaction of seeing the website live and working makes it all worth it.

Step 5: Upgrades and Enhancements

As I built the site, I made some upgrades:

• Updated CKEditor: I replaced the older CKEditor with a newer version for better content editing.
• Improved File Management: I added .gitignore rules to keep unnecessary files out of version control.
• Streamlined Database: Django’s ORM made managing migrations effortless.
• Implemented Cloudflare Turnstile: To prevent bot emails, I integrated Cloudflare Turnstile into my contact form. This has significantly reduced spam and improved the quality of interactions.

Code Snippets

Here’s a peek at how I handled key parts of the project:

CKEditor Integration

# models.py
from django_ckeditor_5.fields import CKEditor5Field

class Post(models.Model):
    content = CKEditor5Field('Content')

Environment Variables

# .env file
SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key
DEBUG=True
ALLOWED_HOSTS=kamranthomas.com,www.kamranthomas.com

Django Settings

# settings.py
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

load_dotenv()
SECRET_KEY = os.getenv("SECRET_KEY")
DEBUG = os.getenv("DEBUG", "False") == "True"
ALLOWED_HOSTS = os.getenv("ALLOWED_HOSTS", "").split(",")

The Architecture

I designed a simple but functional architecture:

Challenges and Learnings

Was it smooth sailing? Absolutely not. Here are the bumps I hit and what I learned:

• Deploying Django: Hosting on PythonAnywhere required tweaking ALLOWED_HOSTS and SSL settings.
• Cost vs. Features: I chose budget-friendly tools to keep costs low while ensuring the site worked well.
• Consistency: Testing locally and on the server is essential to avoid surprises.

Fun Facts About Django

• Django was named after guitarist Django Reinhardt.
• It powers apps like Mozilla and Disqus.
• Its ORM lets you interact with the database like it’s Python code — no messy SQL required!

Final Thoughts

This project wasn’t just about building a website—it was about proving to myself that I could take an idea and make it real.

If you’re sitting on a project idea, don’t wait as long as I did. Start small, make mistakes, and keep going. Have questions or a project you’re working on? Share it with me — I’d love to connect and learn together!

Comments: 1

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Linda Alimagham: Dec-21-2024

Thanks Kamran, that’s very interesting and thank you for sharing this information.