To develop with Django 1.8, you will need Python 2.7 or Python 3.4, the Pillow library for image manipulation, the MySQL database and MySQLdb bindings or PostgreSQL database, virtualenv to keep each project's Python modules separated, and Git or Subversion for version control.
The other software required for Django development are as follows:
- PIP 1.5
- Text editor (or a Python IDE)
- Web browser (the latest version, please)
For Module 3, Django Design Patterns and Best Practices, it is recommend to work on a Linux-based system such as Ubuntu or Arch Linux. If you are on Windows, you can work on a Linux virtual machine using Vagrant or VirtualBox.
Certain chapters might also require installing certain Python libraries or Django packages. They will be mentioned as, say—the factory_boy
package. In most cases, they can be installed using pip as follows:
$ pip install factory_boy
Hence, it is highly recommended that you first create a separate virtual environment, as mentioned in Module 3, Chapter 2, Application Design.