Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying Django on Heroku in 2025

Deploying a Django Web Application on Heroku (2025)

Sign Up for Heroku:
Create an account at Heroku Signup.
Install Git:
Download and install Git from the official website.
Install the Heroku CLI:
Follow the instructions on the Heroku CLI documentation to install the Command Line Interface.
Prepare Your Django Project:
1. Open your terminal and navigate to your project directory:
```
cd /path/to/your/project
```
2. Ensure your virtual environment is activated and install the necessary packages:
```
pip install gunicorn psycopg2-binary
```
  Note: psycopg2-binary is required for PostgreSQL database support.
3. Freeze your dependencies into a requirements.txt file:
```
pip freeze > requirements.txt
```

Configure settings.py:

Import necessary modules at the top:

import os
from pathlib import Path
import dj_database_url

Set the ALLOWED_HOSTS to include your Heroku app's domain:
```
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['your-app-name.herokuapp.com']
```

Configure the database settings to use Heroku's PostgreSQL:

DATABASES = {
    'default': dj_database_url.parse(os.environ.get('DATABASE_URL'))
}

Configure static files settings:

STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATIC_ROOT = Path(BASE_DIR) / 'staticfiles'

Set the secret key and debug mode using environment variables:

SECRET_KEY = os.environ.get('SECRET_KEY', 'your-default-secret-key')
DEBUG = os.environ.get('DEBUG', 'False') == 'True'

Create a Procfile:
In your project's root directory, create a file named Procfile (without any extension) and add the following line:
```
web: gunicorn your_project_name.wsgi
```
Replace your_project_name with the name of your Django project directory.
Initialize a Git Repository:
1. Initialize the repository:
```
git init
```
2. Add all files:
```
git add .
```
3. Commit the changes:
```
git commit -m "Initial commit"
```
Deploy to Heroku:
1. Create a new Heroku app:
```
heroku create your-app-name
```
  Replace your-app-name with your desired app name.
2. Set environment variables:
```
heroku config:set SECRET_KEY='your-secret-key'
heroku config:set DEBUG='False'
```
3. Push your code to Heroku:
```
git push heroku master
```
4. Run database migrations on Heroku:
```
heroku run python manage.py migrate
```
5. Create a superuser for the admin interface:
```
heroku run python manage.py createsuperuser
```
6. Open your application in the browser:
```
heroku open
```

For a comprehensive guide, refer to the official Heroku documentation on Configuring Django Apps for Heroku.

Notes:

The django-heroku package is no longer recommended. Instead, configure your settings manually as outlined above.
Ensure that your SECRET_KEY and other sensitive settings are managed securely using environment variables.
Regularly update your dependencies and configurations to align with the latest best practices and security recommendations.

For a visual walkthrough, you might find this video helpful: