Does Django Work With Docker?
Django and Docker work excellently together, with Docker providing the ideal containerization approach for Django applications in development and production.
Quick Facts
How Django Works With Docker
Django and Docker are a natural pairing. Docker eliminates the "works on my machine" problem by packaging Django with all its dependencies—Python version, packages, environment variables—into a container that runs identically everywhere. Developers write a Dockerfile specifying a Python base image, install Django and project dependencies via pip, and define the entry point as `python manage.py runserver` or a production WSGI server like Gunicorn. Docker Compose further simplifies local development by orchestrating multiple services: the Django app container, a PostgreSQL database, Redis cache, and Celery workers all communicate through defined networks.
The developer experience is streamlined: `docker-compose up` spins up the entire stack with a single command, eliminating tedious setup instructions. Environment variables manage configuration across dev/staging/production without code changes. For production, the same image built locally can be deployed to Kubernetes, ECS, or other container platforms unchanged. Volume mounts in development allow hot-reloading of code changes without rebuilding. The main architectural consideration is ensuring the Django app runs as a non-root user inside the container and properly handles signals for graceful shutdowns.
Best Use Cases
Quick Setup
pip install django docker docker-compose# Dockerfile
FROM python:3.11-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
COPY . .
EXPOSE 8000
CMD ["gunicorn", "config.wsgi:application", "--bind", "0.0.0.0:8000"]
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
web:
build: .
ports:
- "8000:8000"
environment:
- DEBUG=False
- DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@db:5432/django_db
depends_on:
- db
db:
image: postgres:15
environment:
- POSTGRES_DB=django_db
- POSTGRES_USER=user
- POSTGRES_PASSWORD=pass
volumes:
- postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
postgres_data:Known Issues & Gotchas
Database migrations failing on startup if the database container isn't ready yet
Fix: Use Docker Compose wait-for scripts or implement retry logic in your entrypoint script to ensure the database is accepting connections before running migrations
Static files not served properly because they're inside the container and invisible to the host
Fix: Use a multi-stage Dockerfile to collect static files, mount them as volumes, or use a dedicated web server like Nginx as a reverse proxy
File permissions issues when volumes are mounted, especially on Linux hosts
Fix: Run the Django process with the same UID/GID as the host user, or ensure the Dockerfile user has appropriate permissions
Debug mode accidentally left enabled in production containers
Fix: Use environment variables to control DEBUG setting and validate in your entrypoint that DEBUG=False for production builds
Alternatives
- •Flask with Docker - lighter-weight Python framework, similar containerization approach
- •Django with virtual environments and systemd - traditional deployment without containers, requires manual server configuration
- •FastAPI with Docker - modern async Python framework gaining popularity for containerized microservices
Resources
Related Compatibility Guides
Explore more compatibility guides