Migrate a Django App to a Docker Container: Best Practices You Need to Follow

It’s a scene every developer eventually walks into: your Django app is working beautifully on your machine, tests pass, everything’s green, until you try to deploy. 

Maybe you’ve hit the dreaded “works on my machine” wall, or you just want to simplify your dev/prod parity. This is where Docker comes in, not as a magical fix, but as a solid tool when applied correctly.

In this post, we’ll walk through the best practices we’ve picked up while migrating Django projects to Docker.

Why Containerize Django in the First Place?

Let’s briefly discuss the why before getting into the how. Django apps, like any web application, rely on a bunch of dependencies – Python versions, libraries, databases, and more. 

Managing these across different environments (development, staging, production) can be a nightmare. 

Docker solves this by encapsulating your app and all its dependencies into a single container, which can be run anywhere Docker is installed.

• Consistency across environments: You define your app’s environment once, and it runs the same everywhere.
  
• Quick setup: Setting up new dev machines takes minutes, not hours.
  
• Fewer issues with OS and config conflicts: Dependencies, OS, and config conflicts? Mostly gone. Docker reduces many of the common problems that arise when setting up an app on different systems.

Best Practices to follow when migrating a Django App to a Docker Container

Let’s take a look at some of the best practices to migrate a Django App to a Docker Container

1: Structure Your Project for Docker

Before we start creating a structure, make sure you have Docker installed on your system. If you’re on Linux or macOS, it’s straightforward. For Windows, you might need Docker Desktop. 

Please refer to the Official Docker Installation Guide for detailed instructions on how to install Docker.

2: Writing a Solid Dockerfile

You’ll see a dozen different Dockerfiles out there. Here’s a minimal but solid base to start with:

Avoid using the latest tags for base images. Pin to specific versions to ensure consistent builds.

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3: Handle Static Files Properly

Django isn’t built for serving static files in production, but you still need to collect them.

In settings.py, ensure:

Then execute this in your Dockerfile and/or entrypoint.sh:

python manage.py collectstatic –noinput

If you are using Nginx as a reverse proxy (and you should be in production), it’s better to deploy your static files from a mounted volume or from a built-in directory.

4: Manage Environment Variables the Right Way

Hardcoding credentials? Let’s not.

Use a .env file:

Load it with django-environ or similar:

Then, in your docker-compose.yml, reference the env file:

Security Tip: Never commit .env to version control. Add it to .gitignore immediately.

5: Database Configs and Docker-Compose

Spinning up a PostgreSQL instance with Docker Compose is painless:

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6: Volume Mounts for Dev Environments

In development, mount your code into the container so you don’t have to rebuild for every change:

This lets you iterate fast. But in production? Embed your code into the image. No mounts.

Best Practice: Use a different docker-compose.override.yml for local dev tweaks — like enabling live reload or debug logging.

7: Security Matters — Even in Dev

It’s tempting to go lax on security during local development, but habits stick.

• Never run Django with DEBUG=True in production.
  
• Don’t expose the admin site publicly unless protected.
  
• Rotate your .env secrets regularly.
  
• Use –no-cache-dir when installing packages to avoid stale builds.
  

Tip: Consider tools like Docker-Slim to shrink and harden your production images.

Conclusion

To sum up, Docker is a great tool for controlling the environment in which your Django app runs, providing a consistent setup between all environments and making deployments/development much easier. 

Following the best practices outlined in this guide, setting up your project, static files, environment variables, and security, you’ll be able to successfully containerize your Django application. 

Docker helps you with the common frustrations when developing a project on your machine. Try out Docker and make your deployment faster and more efficient.

Ramesh Vayavuru

Verified Expert 15+ Years of experience

Ramesh Vayavuru is the Founder & CEO of Soft Suave Technologies, a company dedicated to providing innovative IT solutions for businesses globally. With over 13 years of experience in the industry, Ramesh is passionate about empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the use of cutting-edge technology.

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