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Django Starter

When To Use It​

Public development URL

The starter page is publicly accessible. Workspace permissions do not add application login protection. Add your own authentication before using sensitive data, and use a production deployment for a finished application.

Use this starter for Python web application prototypes. Project files live in the service workspace. It is a development server, not a production deployment of your finished application.

Deploy In Moltern​

  1. Open Services, select Django Starter, and choose a name and environment.
  2. Select capacity. The September 30 customer journey used 100 mCPU / 512 MiB with one instance. This is a tested starting size, not a load-tested minimum.
  3. Choose Preview deploy, review the impact, then Confirm deploy.
  4. Wait for deployment and open the application. First startup can take several minutes.

Django Starter capacity and deployment preview in Moltern

Use The Application​

Open the service URL. The starter page should identify Django. This template is a development project, not a preconfigured CMS or administrator account.

Real Django Starter application after deployment and a persistence test

Edit From The Terminal​

Open the service's Terminal tab. After it connects:

cd /workspace/app
python manage.py check

Edit views in config/urls.py or extend the project normally. Keep Python dependencies in requirements.txt. The initial development project uses SQLite; connect an appropriate database before relying on it for production data.

Keep useful code in Git as well. A service workspace is not a substitute for a versioned backup. Never paste credentials into screenshots or commit them into the project.

Create A Django Administrator​

The starter does not ship with a shared default administrator. Create an account you control from the service terminal:

cd /workspace/app
python manage.py createsuperuser

Then open /admin/ on the service URL and sign in with that account. Store the credential in your approved password manager; do not add it to Git or a screenshot.

Authenticated Django administration page on a Moltern development workspace

Restart And Storage​

Use Stop service, then Start service. Wait until the public application responds again; the status label can update before startup has finished.

Files under /workspace persist across runtime replacement. Changes elsewhere in the container may not. To remove the service and its stored files, select Delete Service, keep Delete stored data selected, and complete account confirmation. Retained files continue to count toward storage.

Work With Git And A Coding Agent​

The runtime includes Git and SSH tooling, but it does not contain a repository credential. Use a repository-scoped credential and a private feature branch.

  1. Add the Django service under the coding agent's Resources settings.
  2. Grant only the access required for the task, then apply the policy update.
  3. Let the agent commit its change to the private feature branch.
  4. Pull the exact commit into /workspace/app and review the diff.
  5. Run python manage.py check && python manage.py test before restarting.
  6. Remove temporary Git credentials and unnecessary agent access afterward.

Django service selected as a scoped resource for a Moltern coding agent

Codex completing and validating the Django change in the Moltern terminal

Private databases or APIs must also be attached explicitly. A network connection does not configure Django models, migrations, or credentials for you.

Troubleshooting​

  • Still starting: inspect Live Logs for package downloads or compilation.
  • Package download failed: review the recorded error, then retry after connectivity is restored. An offline placeholder page is not a working framework.
  • 503 just after restart: startup is not complete. If it persists, check logs rather than repeatedly restarting.
  • No terminal connection: wait for the runtime to start, then reconnect.

Supported Workflow​

Use the workspace terminal or an attached coding agent to edit the Django project, run checks and tests, preview the site, and synchronize changes with a private Git repository. Project files remain available after stopping and starting the workspace.

Before production, connect the database your application will use, test migrations and backups, and confirm the application under your expected load.

Next Steps​

Commit the application to Git and deploy it through Moltern Applications when it is ready to run beyond the development workspace.