Django is a high-level web framework that follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern. One of the most useful features of Django is its built-in authentication system, which provides a secure way to handle user authentication and authorization. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to use Django’s built-in authentication system.
Step 1: Create a Django Project
The first step is to create a new Django project. You can use the following command to create a new Django project:
django-admin startproject project_name
Step 2: Create a Django App
Next, you’ll need to create a new Django app inside your project. You can use the following command to create a new Django app:
python manage.py startapp app_name
Step 3: Configure Authentication Settings
Before we start using Django’s built-in authentication system, we need to configure some settings in the settings.py file of your project. Add the following code to the settings.py file:
AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS = [
‘django.contrib.auth.backends.ModelBackend’,
‘allauth.account.auth_backends.AuthenticationBackend’,
]
AUTH_USER_MODEL = ‘app_name.CustomUser’
LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL = ‘/’
ACCOUNT_EMAIL_VERIFICATION = ‘none’
This code sets the authentication backends, specifies a custom user model, sets the redirect URL for login, and disables email verification.
Step 4: Create a Custom User Model
Now we need to create a custom user model that extends the default Django User model. To do this, create a new file called models.py in your app directory and add the following code:
from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractUser
class CustomUser(AbstractUser):
pass
Step 5: Create User Registration Views
In Django, a view is a Python function that takes a web request and returns a web response. We need to create two views for user registration, one for the registration form and one for the registration success page.
from django.shortcuts import render, redirect
from django.contrib.auth import authenticate, login
from .forms import RegistrationForm
def registration(request):
if request.method == ‘POST’:
form = RegistrationForm(request.POST)
if form.is_valid():
user = form.save(commit=False)
user.set_password(form.cleaned_data[‘password’])
user.save()
username = form.cleaned_data.get(‘username’)
password = form.cleaned_data.get(‘password’)
user = authenticate(username=username, password=password)
login(request, user)
return redirect(‘success’)
else:
form = RegistrationForm()
return render(request, ‘registration.html’, {‘form’: form})
def registration_success(request):
return render(request, ‘registration_success.html’)
Step 6: Create Registration Forms
We need to create two forms for user registration, one for the registration form and one for the registration success page. Create a new file called forms.py in your app directory and add the following code:
from django import forms
from .models import CustomUser
class RegistrationForm(forms.ModelForm):
password = forms.CharField(widget=forms.PasswordInput)
class Meta:
model = CustomUser
fields = [‘username’, ’email’, ‘password’]
Step 7: Create Login Views and Templates
In Django, we need to create two views for user login, one for the login form and one for the login success page.
from django.shortcuts import render, redirect
from django.contrib.auth import authenticate, login
def user_login(request):
if request.method == ‘POST’:
username = request.POST.get(‘username’)
password = request.POST.get(‘password
Step 8: Create Login Forms
We also need to create a form for the user login. Create a new file called forms.py in your app directory and add the following code:
from django import forms
class LoginForm(forms.Form):
username = forms.CharField()
password = forms.CharField(widget=forms.PasswordInput)
Step 9: Create Logout View
To logout the user, create a logout view in your views.py file.
from django.contrib.auth import logout
def user_logout(request):
logout(request)
return redirect(‘home’)
Step 10: Add URLs to Your App
Add the URLs to your app by creating a new urls.py file in your app directory and adding the following code:
from django.urls import path
from . import views
urlpatterns = [
path(‘register/’, views.registration, name=’register’),
path(‘login/’, views.user_login, name=’login’),
path(‘logout/’, views.user_logout, name=’logout’),
path(‘success/’, views.registration_success, name=’success’),
]
Step 11: Create Templates
Create templates for the registration and login forms, as well as the registration and login success pages. Add these templates to your app’s templates directory.
registration.html:
{% extends ‘base.html’ %}
{% block content %}
<h2>Register</h2>
<form method=”POST”>
{% csrf_token %}
{{ form.as_p }}
<button type=”submit”>Register</button>
</form>
{% endblock %}
login.html:
{% extends ‘base.html’ %
Concusion: Django’s built-in authentication system provides a secure and easy way to handle user authentication and authorization in your web application. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can set up user registration, login, and logout functionality in your Django app using the built-in authentication system. Remember to customize your authentication settings and user model to fit your specific needs, and always prioritize security when working with user authentication. With these tips and best practices in mind, you can create a robust and secure authentication system for your Django web application.
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