Deploy Python Django App for Free

TL;DR — Deploy a Django app with a managed PostgreSQL database on RaidFrame for free. No credit card required. Unlike PythonAnywhere (no Postgres, limited workers) or Heroku (no free tier), you get a real production setup with Gunicorn, managed database, and auto-scaling.

Why most Django deployment guides are wrong

Most guides tell you to use PythonAnywhere. It's free but severely limited — no PostgreSQL, no WebSockets, no background workers, shared CPU, and your app sleeps after inactivity.

Others point you to Heroku, which killed its free tier in 2022. Or AWS, which requires a PhD in YAML to deploy a Hello World.

RaidFrame gives you a production Django setup for $0:

• Managed PostgreSQL (not SQLite)
• Gunicorn with multiple workers
• Environment variables for secrets
• SSL included
• No sleep, no cold starts

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+ installed
• A GitHub account
• A RaidFrame account (sign up free)

Step 1: Create a Django project

mkdir my-django-app && cd my-django-app
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
 
pip install django gunicorn psycopg2-binary dj-database-url python-dotenv
django-admin startproject config .
python manage.py startapp core

Step 2: Configure for production

Update config/settings.py:

import os
import dj_database_url
from dotenv import load_dotenv
 
load_dotenv()
 
SECRET_KEY = os.environ.get("SECRET_KEY", "dev-secret-change-me")
DEBUG = os.environ.get("DEBUG", "False") == "True"
ALLOWED_HOSTS = os.environ.get("ALLOWED_HOSTS", "*").split(",")
 
# Database — uses DATABASE_URL env var in production
DATABASES = {
    "default": dj_database_url.config(
        default="sqlite:///db.sqlite3",
        conn_max_age=600,
    )
}
 
STATIC_URL = "/static/"
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "staticfiles")

Step 3: Create a requirements file

pip freeze > requirements.txt

Step 4: Add a Dockerfile

FROM python:3.11-slim
 
WORKDIR /app
 
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
 
COPY . .
RUN python manage.py collectstatic --noinput
 
EXPOSE 8000
CMD ["gunicorn", "config.wsgi:application", "--bind", "0.0.0.0:8000", "--workers", "3"]

Step 5: Deploy to RaidFrame

# Install CLI
pip install raidframe-cli
 
# Login and deploy
rf login
rf init
rf deploy

RaidFrame detects your Django app, provisions a managed PostgreSQL database, sets DATABASE_URL, and deploys with Gunicorn behind SSL.

# Run migrations on the deployed database
rf run "python manage.py migrate"
 
# Create a superuser
rf run "python manage.py createsuperuser"

Your Django app is live at my-django-app.raidframe.app.

How does this compare to other options?

How do I add background tasks?

Install Celery and connect it to your RaidFrame Redis instance:

rf add redis

# config/celery.py
import os
from celery import Celery
 
os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "config.settings")
app = Celery("config")
app.config_from_object("django.conf:settings", namespace="CELERY")
app.conf.broker_url = os.environ.get("REDIS_URL")
app.autodiscover_tasks()

Deploy a separate worker process:

rf service add worker --command "celery -A config worker -l info"

Both your web app and worker run on the same platform, sharing the same database and Redis.

FAQ

Can I use Flask instead of Django?

Yes. RaidFrame runs any Python app via Docker. Use gunicorn app:app for Flask instead of gunicorn config.wsgi:application.

Does RaidFrame support FastAPI?

Yes. FastAPI runs with uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000. Add it to your Dockerfile and deploy the same way.

Can I use SQLite instead of PostgreSQL?

You can, but we don't recommend it for production. SQLite doesn't handle concurrent writes well. The free managed PostgreSQL is a better choice for any app with more than one user.

How do I run Django management commands?

Use rf run to execute commands on your deployed app:

rf run "python manage.py migrate"
rf run "python manage.py shell"
rf run "python manage.py loaddata fixtures.json"

Is this suitable for production?

Yes. Your app runs with Gunicorn (multiple workers), a managed PostgreSQL database with daily backups, and auto-restart on failure. Add auto-scaling on the Pro plan when you need it.

What's next?

• Scale your PostgreSQL to handle millions of queries
• Set up zero-downtime deployments
• Deploy a Node.js app alongside your Django backend

Deploy your Django app with a real database today — start for free.