By Shriful Islam · · 3 min read · 174 views
If you’re new to Django, one of the most confusing things at the beginning is its project structure.
After running django-admin startproject, you suddenly see files like:
settings.py
urls.py
wsgi.py
asgi.py
And folders inside folders 😵💫
In this article, we’ll break down Django’s project structure in a simple, practical way, so you understand:
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What each file does
Why Django is structured this way
How this structure helps you build scalable applications
By the end, Django’s structure will feel logical, not scary.
Let’s start fresh:
django-admin startproject myproject
cd myproject
Your folder structure will look like this:
myproject/
├── manage.py
└── myproject/
├── __init__.py
├── settings.py
├── urls.py
├── asgi.py
└── wsgi.py
Now let’s understand each part one by one.
# manage.py
Helps you interact with your Django project
Runs the development server
Executes migrations
Creates apps, superusers, and more
python manage.py runserver
python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py createsuperuser
👉 Think of manage.py as the remote control of your Django project.
myproject/)This inner folder contains the core configuration of your project.
The outer folder is just a container
The inner folder is the actual Django project
This is one of the most important files in Django.
Installed apps
Database configuration
Middleware
Templates
Static & media files
Security settings
Example:
INSTALLED_APPS = [
'django.contrib.admin',
'django.contrib.auth',
'blog',
]
👉 Any time something “doesn’t work”, settings.py is usually involved.
This file decides:
“Which URL goes to which view?”
Example:
from django.urls import path
from . import views
urlpatterns = [
path('', views.home, name='home'),
]
URLs map → Views
Clean URL structure = better UX & SEO
👉 Think of urls.py as Google Maps for your website.
WSGI stands for Web Server Gateway Interface.
Deploying Django to production
Running with Gunicorn or uWSGI
You usually don’t touch this file, but it’s critical for deployment.
👉 Without wsgi.py, Django can’t talk to your server.
ASGI is the modern version of WSGI.
WebSockets
Real-time apps
Django Channels
If you build:
Chat apps
Notifications
Live dashboards
👉 asgi.py becomes very important.
This file tells Python:
“This folder is a package.”
Most of the time, you won’t modify it—but it’s required.
Entire website
Configuration & settings
A feature or module
Reusable component
Example apps:
blog
accounts
dashboard
payments
Create an app:
python manage.py startapp blog
App structure:
blog/
├── admin.py
├── apps.py
├── models.py
├── views.py
├── tests.py
└── migrations/
👉 One project = many apps
This is what makes Django clean and scalable.
Django’s structure helps you:
Separate concerns
Avoid spaghetti code
Scale teams and features
Maintain large projects easily
This is why Django works well for:
SaaS platforms
Content sites
Admin-heavy systems
Enterprise applications
❌ Putting everything in one app
❌ Editing settings.py randomly
❌ Not understanding URL routing
❌ Renaming core files
👉 Learn the structure once, and Django becomes much easier.
✔ Keep apps small and focused
✔ Use meaningful app names
✔ Separate settings for dev & prod
✔ Organize templates by app
Django’s project structure may look complex at first, but it’s actually one of its biggest strengths.
Once you understand:
Projects vs Apps
URLs → Views → Templates
Configuration flow
👉 Django becomes predictable, scalable, and enjoyable to work with.