Deploying a Django project on cPanel is a great way to get your app online without needing a VPS or cloud server. Whether your code is hosted on GitHub or you have the files on your local machine, this step-by-step guide will help you deploy it easily.
🧰 Prerequisites
Before starting, make sure you have:
✅ A working Django project
✅ cPanel account with Python App support
✅ Domain or subdomain ready
✅ requirements.txt file in your project
✅ Correct ALLOWED_HOSTS & production settings
⚙️ Step 1: Prepare Your Django Project
Before uploading or cloning:
Collect static files:
python manage.py collectstatic
Update ALLOWED_HOSTS in settings.py:
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['yourdomain.com', 'www.yourdomain.com']
Add CSRF trusted origin:
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = ['https://yourdomain.com']
Set DEBUG = False in production.
📁 Step 2A: Method 1 – Upload Project Files Directly
Zip your project folder (without venv).
Log in to cPanel.
Open File Manager → navigate to the folder where you want to host (e.g., public_html or subdomain).
Upload the zip file.
Extract it inside a clean folder like myproject.
👉 Tip: Keep project files in a separate folder — don’t mix with other website files.
📥 Step 2B: Method 2 – Clone Project from GitHub
If your project is on GitHub:
Open cPanel Terminal or SSH Access.
Navigate to your desired directory (e.g., public_html):
cd public_html
Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/yourproject.git
Rename the folder if needed:
mv yourproject myproject
✅ You can also use Git™ Version Control from the cPanel dashboard if terminal access isn’t available.
🌐 Step 3: Create Python App in cPanel
Open “Setup Python App” in cPanel.
Click Create Application.
Choose:
Python version: e.g., 3.10
Application Root: myproject
Application URL: select your domain/subdomain
Application startup file: passenger_wsgi.py
Create the app.
This will automatically set up a virtual environment for your project.
🧪 Step 4: Install Dependencies
Open the Terminal from cPanel or click “Enter to virtual environment” on the Python App page.
Install requirements:
pip install -r requirements.txt
If you don’t have requirements.txt:
pip freeze > requirements.txt
Then re-upload it or push it to GitHub and install again.
Inside your project root (e.g., myproject), create or edit passenger_wsgi.py:
import os
import sys
sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(__file__))
os.environ['DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'] = 'myproject.settings'
from django.core.wsgi import get_wsgi_application
application = get_wsgi_application()
👉 Replace myproject.settings with the actual path of your settings file.
🧭 Step 6: Collect Static Files on Server
python manage.py collectstatic
Make sure your settings.py contains:
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static')
This will create a static folder to serve your assets.
If you’re using MySQL from cPanel:
Create a database and user in MySQL® Databases.
Update settings.py:
DATABASES = {
'default': {
'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.mysql',
'NAME': 'yourdbname',
'USER': 'yourdbuser',
'PASSWORD': 'yourdbpassword',
'HOST': 'localhost',
'PORT': '3306',
}
}
- Run migrations:
python manage.py migrate
🔁 Step 8: Restart the Python App
✅ Your Django project is now live!
🛠 Common Issues & Fixes
| Problem | Reason | Solution |
| 500 Internal Server Error | Wrong WSGI path or missing package | Check passenger_wsgi.py and reinstall requirements |
| Static files not loading | Static not collected | Run collectstatic and ensure STATIC_ROOT is correct |
| Database connection failed | Wrong credentials | Recheck username, password, host, and database name |
| Changes not appearing | App not restarted | Click Restart App after every change |
✅ Use .env file or environment variables for sensitive data.
🛡 Set correct file permissions (755 for folders, 644 for files).
🔐 Always set DEBUG = False in production.
🌍 Add www.yourdomain.com and yourdomain.com to ALLOWED_HOSTS.
🧰 Use Git pull to update your project easily when using GitHub.
📝 Example File Structure
public_html/
└── myproject/
├── manage.py
├── myproject/
│ ├── settings.py
│ ├── urls.py
│ └── wsgi.py
├── passenger_wsgi.py
├── requirements.txt
└── static/
🏁 Conclusion
Deploying a Django project on cPanel is simple once you know the steps.
You can either:
With Python App support, cPanel takes care of most server configurations for you. Just make sure your WSGI file, dependencies, and settings are correct — and your Django app will be online in no time. 🚀
✅ Pro Tip: If you plan to maintain and update your project frequently, using GitHub cloning with git pull is much faster and cleaner than manually uploading files every time.
