Migrating from SQLite to MySQL in Your Django Project

If you're moving your Django app from db.sqlite3 to a more robust and production-ready database like MySQL, here’s a complete guide to help you make the transition smoothly.

1. Install MySQL Client Package

First, install the required MySQL client library for Python. This will allow Django to communicate with your MySQL database:

pip install mysqlclient

Note: On some systems, you might need to install MySQL development headers or libraries first. For example, on Debian/Ubuntu, run:

sudo apt-get install libmysqlclient-dev

2. Run Your MySQL Server

Make sure your MySQL server is running. You can start it with:

sudo service mysql start

mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE your_database_name CHARACTER SET UTF8MB4;

3. Update `settings.py`

Inside your Django project’s settings.py, update the DATABASES section like this:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.mysql',
        'NAME': 'your_database_name',
        'USER': 'your_mysql_user',
        'PASSWORD': 'your_mysql_password',
        'HOST': 'localhost',   # or your DB host
        'PORT': '3306',        # default MySQL port
    }
}

4. If You Already Have Data in `db.sqlite3`

If you’ve been using SQLite and have data you don’t want to lose, Django makes it easy to migrate your data:

First, export your current data:

python manage.py dumpdata > data.json

Then, apply migrations to your new MySQL database:

python manage.py migrate

Finally, load the data into the new MySQL database:

python manage.py loaddata data.json

5. Done!

That’s it! You’ve now moved from SQLite to MySQL in your Django project. Always make sure to test your app thoroughly after migration to ensure everything works as expected.

Migrating from SQLite to MySQL in Your Django Project