How to Deploy Django on Ubuntu with Apache2 & mod_wsgi (Complete Step-by-Step Guide)

Deploying Django on a live server can feel tricky the first time, but once you understand the flow, it’s actually simple.
In this guide, we’ll deploy a Django application on Ubuntu Linux using Apache2 and mod_wsgi — a stable, production-ready setup used worldwide.

This guide works for:

• Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 / 24.04
• Python 3.x
• Django 3.x / 4.x / 5.x

Let’s get started! 💡

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1. Install Apache2, Python, and mod_wsgi

Update system packages:

sudo apt update

Install Apache2:

sudo apt install apache2

Install mod_wsgi + virtual environment tools:

sudo apt install libapache2-mod-wsgi-py3 python3-venv

Enable mod_wsgi:

sudo a2enmod wsgi
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Apache is now ready to speak with Django.

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2. Create Your Django Project Directory

Choose where you want your project to live:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/myproject
sudo chown $USER:$USER /var/www/myproject
cd /var/www/myproject

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3. Create a Virtual Environment

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

Install Django:

pip install django

Create the project:

django-admin startproject myproject .

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4. Configure Django Static Files

Inside settings.py, set:

STATIC_URL = "/static/"
STATIC_ROOT = BASE_DIR / "static"

Collect static files:

python manage.py collectstatic

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5. Update ALLOWED_HOSTS

In settings.py, add your domain and localhost:

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ["example.com", "www.example.com", "localhost", "127.0.0.1"]

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6. Determine Your WSGI File Path

Find your Django project’s WSGI file:

find . -maxdepth 2 -name "wsgi.py"

You’ll get something like:

./myproject/wsgi.py

Take note of your <project_name>.

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7. Create Apache VirtualHost for Django

Create a config file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/myproject.conf

Paste this configuration (replace <project_name> with yours):

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName yourdomain.com
    ServerAlias www.yourdomain.com

    WSGIDaemonProcess myproject \
        python-home=/var/www/myproject/venv \
        python-path=/var/www/myproject

    WSGIProcessGroup myproject
    WSGIScriptAlias / /var/www/myproject/myproject/wsgi.py

    <Directory /var/www/myproject/myproject/>
        <Files wsgi.py>
            Require all granted
        </Files>
    </Directory>

    Alias /static /var/www/myproject/static
    <Directory /var/www/myproject/static>
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/myproject-error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/myproject-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

 

8. Enable the Site & Reload Apache

Enable your config file:

sudo a2ensite myproject.conf

Reload Apache:

sudo systemctl reload apache2

Or fully restart:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

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9. Fix Permissions (Important!)

Allow Apache to read project files:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/myproject
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/myproject

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10. Test Your Django Deployment

Visit:

http://example.com/

If everything is correct, you should see:

• Django homepage or
• A Django-styled 404 page (which means WSGI is working!)

If you see:

• Apache plain “Not Found” page → WSGI is not configured correctly
• 500 error → check logs below

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11. Check Logs (for Debugging)

Apache error log:

sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/myproject-error.log

Apache access log:

sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/myproject-access.log

Check logs whenever something doesn’t load — they always show the exact issue.

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12. Enable HTTPS (Let’s Encrypt) (Optional)

Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache

Run SSL setup:

sudo certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.com

Your Django site is now HTTPS-secured 🎉

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Final Notes

• Use reload for config changes
• Use restart for full WSGI reload
• Use touch wsgi.py to force reload without restart:

touch /var/www/myproject/<project_name>/wsgi.py

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Conclusion

Deploying Django with Apache2 and mod_wsgi on Ubuntu is one of the most stable production setups available. Once it’s configured, it runs smoothly with minimal maintenance. This guide gives you everything needed to deploy your Django applications securely and reliably.