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Django virtualenv Apache2 mod_wsgi

Steps taken to deploy a Django web application (osqa.net) in a virtualenv, using apache2, and mod_wsgi.

Why use wsgi and virtualenv?

I also host pylons applications using mod_wsgi and apache2 and mod_python is incompatible.

mod_wsgi is faster.

I don't want my public site-packages library conflicting with other applications.

Contents

Install virtualenv
Create a virtualenv
Install Django
Install and configure the Django web application
Configure Apache2 VirtualHost
Configure mod_wsgi
Enable the Virtual Host and reload Apache2

Install virtualenv

Install Setup tools:

$ sudo apt-get install python-setuptools memcached

Install virtualenv:
```
$ sudo easy_install virtualenv
```

Create a virtualenv

Move to the directory where you want to create the virtualenv:
```
$ cd /www/lostquery.com
```
Create python environment:
```
$ virtualenv --no-site-packages virtpy
```

Install Django

Activate the virtualenv:
```
$ source virtpy/bin/activate
```
The shell should have changed to (virtpy) $ . Run this command to install django to the virtualenv:
```
$ easy_install django
```

Install any dependencies you will need to the virtualenv:

$ easy_install MySQL-python markdown html5lib modwsgideploy python-openid South python-memcached

Install and configure the Django web application

Get the sourcecode:

$ svn co http://svn.osqa.net/svnroot/osqa/trunk

Configure the application:

$ cd trunk

$ cp settings_local.py.dist settings_local.py

$ vi settings_local.py

You must tell the Django's application what database to use. Also configure memcached:

# database settings
DATABASE_NAME     =  'databasename' # Or path to database file if using sqlite3.
DATABASE_USER     =  'username'     # Not used with sqlite3.
DATABASE_PASSWORD =  'p@ssw0rd'     # Not used with sqlite3.
DATABASE_ENGINE   =  'mysql'        #mysql, etc
DATABASE_HOST     =  'localhost'
DATABASE_PORT     =  ''

# memcached settings (osqa is slow as dirt without this)
CACHE_BACKEND = 'memcached://127.0.0.1:11211/'

Give apache access to a few directories, /trunk/log and /trunk/forum/upfiles:
```
$ chmod 777 log
$ chmod 777 forum/upfiles
```
Create the database (example syntax to create a mySQL database).

Let the django application build the tables in the new database:
```
$ python manage.py syncdb --all
$ python manage.py migrate forum --fake
```

Configure Apache2 VirtualHost

Turn on mod_rewrite:
```
$ a2enmod rewrite
```

Create a sites-available vhost apache2 file:

$ sudo vi /etc/apache2/sites-available/007-lostquery

Setup the host file:

 #lostquery.com

 #Djangos embeded mod_wsgi
 <VirtualHost *:80>
      ServerName lostquery.com
      ServerAlias www.lostquery.com
      ServerAdmin admin@admin.com

      # ReWrite URL to WWW
      RewriteEngine On
      RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.lostquery.com
      RewriteRule (.*) http://lostquery.com$1 [R=301,L]

      # Log Files
      ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/error-lostquery.log
      CustomLog /var/log/apache2/access-lostquery.log combined

      # prevent django from seting static files
      DocumentRoot /www/lostquery.com/trunk/forum
      Alias /m/ /www/lostquery.com/trunk/forum/skins/
      Alias /upfiles/ /www/lostquery.com/trunk/forum/upfiles/
      <Directory /www/lostquery.com/trunk/forum/skins>
          Order allow,deny
          Allow from all
      </Directory>

      # Setup mod_wsgi
      WSGIDaemonProcess lostquery display-name=lostquery user=www-data processes=2 threads=15
      WSGIScriptAlias / /www/lostquery.com/mod_wsgi/dispatch.wsgi

 </VirtualHost>

Configure mod_wsgi

Create the egg-cache directory:

$ mkdir /www/lostquery.com/mod_wsgi

$ mkdir /www/lostquery.com/mod_wsgi/egg-cache

Create the wsgi dispatch file:

$ vi /www/lostquery.com/mod_wsgi/dispatch.wsgi

Setup the wsgi dispatch file:

import os
import sys
sys.stdout = sys.stderr
# Add the virtual Python environment site-packages directory to the path
import site
site.addsitedir('/www/lostquery.com/virtpy/lib/python2.6/site-packages')


# Avoid ``[Errno 13] Permission denied: '/var/www/.python-eggs'`` messages
import os
os.environ['PYTHON_EGG_CACHE'] = '/www/lostquery.com/mod_wsgi/egg-cache'

#If your project is not on your PYTHONPATH by default you can add the following
sys.path.append('/www/lostquery.com/trunk')
os.environ['DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'] = 'settings'


import django.core.handlers.wsgi
application = django.core.handlers.wsgi.WSGIHandler()

Enable the Virtual Host and reload Apache2

Reset apache2 so that it reads in the new config files:

$ a2ensite lostquery

$ sudo service apache2 reload

Comments

fritzvd 03:31 AM 09-29-2011

Hi,

Thanks this is great and exhaustive. Helped me host my django. One question though, I usually do this: Create sites and put them in: sites-available. Reload apache2 for a graceful restart. Call them/switch on:

a2ensite lostquery

/etc/init.d/apache2 reload

Is there any special reason why you don't do this?

Fritz

foxhop 09:00 PM 09-29-2011

@fritzvd

I have recently started using the a2ensite method that you described.

Thanks for your input. I have adjusted the tutorial. Feel free to adjust anything you feel need work!

Foxhop

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