Installing Django 5.2 Locally (Windows)

This document describes how to run Django 5.2 on your Windows PC and expose it to the internet using localhost.run so that DJ4E autograders can test your work.

When you complete this, you will have a URL from localhost.run (e.g. https://xxxxx.lhr.lt) that you can submit to the "Install" autograder.

Other platforms: WSL · Mac · Linux · Overview

Prerequisites

You need the following installed on your computer:

1. Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, or 3.13 – Download Python
   Check Add Python to PATH during install.

2. Git – Download Git
   Git for Windows installs Git Bash, which we recommend for running the commands below.

3. SSH – Used by localhost.run (no signup required). SSH comes with Git for Windows; Windows 10 and 11 also include OpenSSH.

We recommend Git Bash so your commands match the Mac and Linux guides. Open Git Bash from the Start menu instead of cmd or PowerShell.

We use the same folder layout as on Mac/Linux: ~/django_projects for your Django apps and ~/dj4e-samples for the sample code (in Git Bash, ~ is your user profile). The virtual environment lives in ~/.ve52.

Creating a Virtual Environment

Create and activate a virtual environment for Django 5.2 in your home directory.

Git Bash (recommended):

cd ~
python -m venv .ve52
source .ve52/Scripts/activate

Command Prompt:

cd %USERPROFILE%
python -m venv .ve52
.ve52\Scripts\activate.bat

PowerShell:

cd $env:USERPROFILE
python -m venv .ve52
.ve52\Scripts\Activate.ps1

If python is not found, try py -3. If you have multiple Python versions, use one that is 3.10 or newer (e.g. py -3.12 -m venv .ve52).

Once activated, your prompt should show (.ve52) at the start. Verify Python and install Django:

pip install --upgrade pip
pip install django==5.2
python -m django --version

The Django version should be 5.2 or higher.

Installing dj4e-samples and Requirements

Make sure your virtual environment is activated (you should see (.ve52) in your prompt). If you opened a new terminal, activate it again as shown above.

Git Bash:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/csev/dj4e-samples
cd dj4e-samples
git checkout django52
git pull origin django52
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements52.txt

Command Prompt or PowerShell:

cd %USERPROFILE%
git clone https://github.com/csev/dj4e-samples
cd dj4e-samples
git checkout django52
git pull origin django52
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements52.txt

(In PowerShell, use cd $env:USERPROFILE instead of cd %USERPROFILE% for the first line.)

Verify the installation:

python manage.py check

Expected output includes:

System check identified no issues (0 silenced).

Then run migrations:

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

The dj4e-samples folder is reference material for the course. To pull updates later:

Git Bash: cd ~/dj4e-samples then git pull origin django52
cmd/PowerShell: cd %USERPROFILE%\dj4e-samples (or $env:USERPROFILE\dj4e-samples in PowerShell), then git pull origin django52

Building Your Django Application

Ensure your virtual environment is activated. Create your project folder and Django project.

Git Bash:

cd ~
mkdir -p django_projects
cd django_projects
django-admin startproject mysite

Command Prompt:

cd %USERPROFILE%
mkdir django_projects
cd django_projects
django-admin startproject mysite

PowerShell:

cd $env:USERPROFILE
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path django_projects | Out-Null
cd django_projects
django-admin startproject mysite

Edit mysite/mysite/settings.py and set:

ALLOWED_HOSTS = [ '*' ]

Leave DEBUG = True. Save the file.

Adding the Polls Application

Git Bash:

cd ~/django_projects/mysite
python manage.py startapp polls

Command Prompt:

cd %USERPROFILE%\django_projects\mysite
python manage.py startapp polls

PowerShell:

cd $env:USERPROFILE\django_projects\mysite
python manage.py startapp polls

Edit mysite/polls/views.py and replace its contents with:

from django.http import HttpResponse

def index(request):
    return HttpResponse("Hello, world. You're at the polls index.")

Create mysite/polls/urls.py with:

from django.urls import path
from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    path("", views.index, name="index"),
]

Edit mysite/mysite/urls.py and replace its contents with:

from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import include, path

urlpatterns = [
    path("polls/", include("polls.urls")),
    path("admin/", admin.site.urls),
]

Verify:

python manage.py check

Running Your Server and Exposing with localhost.run

You need two terminal windows (or tabs).

Terminal 1 – Django server

Git Bash:

cd ~
source .ve52/Scripts/activate
cd django_projects/mysite
python manage.py runserver

Command Prompt:

cd %USERPROFILE%
.ve52\Scripts\activate.bat
cd django_projects\mysite
python manage.py runserver

PowerShell:

cd $env:USERPROFILE
.ve52\Scripts\Activate.ps1
cd django_projects\mysite
python manage.py runserver

Leave this running. The server listens on http://127.0.0.1:8000/.

Terminal 2 – localhost.run tunnel

Open a second terminal and run:

ssh -R 80:localhost:8000 localhost.run

Leave this running. localhost.run will print a public URL, for example:

Forwarding HTTP traffic from https://xxxxx-xx-xx-xx-xx.lhr.lt

That URL is what you submit to the Install autograder. It forwards traffic to your local Django server.

Testing locally

• Local: open http://127.0.0.1:8000/polls in your browser
• Public: open the localhost.run URL (e.g. https://xxxxx.lhr.lt/polls)

You should see: "Hello, world. You're at the polls index."

Submitting to the Autograder

1. Keep Terminal 1 (runserver) and Terminal 2 (ssh tunnel) running
2. Copy the full localhost.run URL (e.g. https://xxxxx.lhr.lt)
3. Submit that URL to the DJ4E Install autograder

The autograder will fetch your site through localhost.run. Each time you restart the SSH tunnel, the URL may change; if it does, submit the new URL.

Workflow: Change, Check, Restart, Test

When you change code:

1. Run python manage.py check to catch errors
2. Stop the server (Ctrl+C in Terminal 1) and start it again: python manage.py runserver
3. Test at http://127.0.0.1:8000/ or your localhost.run URL

The tunnel (Terminal 2) can stay running; you only need to restart the Django server.

Checkup Tool

We provide a checkup script in dj4e-samples. From Git Bash:

bash ~/dj4e-samples/tools/checkup.sh

On Windows without Git Bash, run the equivalent checks manually (for example python manage.py check from your project directory with the venv activated).

Possible Errors

See Fixing Common Django Errors for troubleshooting.

If ssh -R 80:localhost:8000 localhost.run fails:

• Ensure the Django server is running in the other terminal
• Some networks block outbound SSH (port 22); try a different network
• Ensure SSH is available: ssh -V

Starting Over

To remove everything and start fresh:

Git Bash:

cd ~
rm -rf .ve52
rm -rf dj4e-samples
rm -rf django_projects

Command Prompt:

cd %USERPROFILE%
rmdir /s /q .ve52
rmdir /s /q dj4e-samples
rmdir /s /q django_projects

PowerShell:

cd $env:USERPROFILE
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force .ve52, dj4e-samples, django_projects -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Then follow this document from the beginning.

About Django 4.2

As of January 2026, this course uses Django 5.2. If you prefer Django 4.2, follow the Django 4.2 install instructions and adapt the local steps from this document.