Deploying Django on Windows

Instructions based on Windows Server 2008 R2, Server 2012 or Windows 7 as those are my only tested so far.

Ported from https://www.mattwoodward.com/2016/07/23/running-a-django-application-on-windows-server-2012-with-iis/

Requirements

Assumptions

Master Python will be installed to C:\Pyton36\
The virtual environment will be in C:\Apps\virtualenvs\
The django root will be placed in C:\Apps\django_forms\

Required Installations

Python 3.6.x latest version: https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/
- Choose Customize Installation
- Uncheck Documentation, “tcl/tk and IDLE”, “Python test suite”
- Supply C:\Python36 to Customize install location box.
Git latest version: https://git-scm.com/
- Latest version is not necessary, any version will do as long as it works.
IIS must be enabled
- Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> (left sidebar) Turn Windows features on or off
- Internet Information Services, make sure the following items are checked or are blue filled:
  - Web Management Tools
  - World Wide Web Services
- Click OK, wait for installation to finish
ODBC Drivers
- After you clone the repo, there will be a file to install found within the repo.

Virtual Environments

Test basic installation

Skip this if you don’t want to test an installation of python and django at its most basic.

Install the file downloaded in step 5 above then:

Make the directory C:\Apps\virtualenvs
Open command prompt, you may want to open it as administrator

cd C:\Python36
python.exe -m pip install --upgrade pip
cd Scripts
pip.exe install virtualenvs
cd C:\Apps\virtualenvs
C:\Python36\Scripts\virtualenv.exe test_proj
test_proj\Scripts\activate.bat
pip install django
cd C:\Apps
django-admin startproject test_proj
cd test_proj
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py runserver

Open your browser to http://127.0.0.1:8000/ and make sure you can see a website running saying the installation worked.
CTRL+C a couple times to stop it running and get back to standard prompt

deactivate # this is a special command, just type it like that.

New Environment

cd C:\Apps\virtualenvs
C:\Python36\Scripts\virtualenv.exe django_forms

Activating Environments

django_forms\Scripts\activate.bat
# Your console command line should now be prepended with (django_forms)

Cloning the repo

Within command prompt:

cd C:\Apps
git clone <REPO_URL> django_forms
pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuring IIS

Configure FastCGI

Click on your servers name on the left sidebar
Double click FastCGI Settings in the main window
Click Add Application on the right sidebar
- Full Path: C:\Apps\virtualenvs\django_forms\Scripts\python.exe
- Arguments: C:\Apps\virtualenvs\django_forms\Scripts\wfastcgi.exe
- Monitor changes to file: C:\Apps\django_forms\manage.py
- Activity Timeout: 300
- Request Timeout: 300
- Click on Environment Variables line and then click the … box that appears and add the following Members

Name: DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE Value: django_forms.settings_prod 
Name: PYTHONPATH Value: C:\Apps\django_forms 
Name: WSGI_HANDLER Value: django.core.wsgi.get_wsgi_application()

Configure A New Site

Click on your servers name on the left sidebar
Click on Sites
Click on Add Website… on the right sidebar

Site name: what ever you want
Physical path: **C:\Apps\django_forms\**
Configure Binding as needed or leave blank for all
Click OK

Link FastCGI To Site

Find the site in the left sidebar and click on it
Click on Handler Mappings in the main window
Click Add Module Mapping on the right sidebar
- Request path: *
- Module: FastCgiModule
- Executable: C:\Apps\virtualenvs\django_forms\Scripts\python.exe|C:\Apps\virtualenvs\django_forms\Scripts\wfastcgi.exe
  - Note that is a Pipe character separator without space
- Name: Django handler or whatever you want
- Click Request Restrictions
  - Uncheck Invoke handler only…
  - Click OK
- Click OK
- If prompted with “Do you want to create a FastCGI application for this executable?” click No as we have already created it