Setting up a Django project locally in VS Code involves several steps. I'll provide you with a step-by-step guide to help you get started. Make sure you have Python and VS Code installed on your system before proceeding.

Step 1: Create a Virtual Environment

It's a good practice to create a virtual environment to isolate your project dependencies. Open your terminal or command prompt and navigate to your project directory.

cd /path/to/your/project

Create a virtual environment (you can replace "venv" with your preferred name):

python -m venv venv

Activate the virtual environment:

• On Windows:

  venv\Scripts\activate

• On macOS and Linux:

  source venv/bin/activate

Step 2: Install Django

While the virtual environment is active, install Django using pip:

pip install django

Step 3: Create a Django Project

Create a new Django project using the following command (replace "projectname" with your preferred project name):

django-admin startproject projectname .

The "." at the end tells Django to create the project in the current directory.

Step 4: Configure the Database

Open the project's settings.py file (located in the project directory) in VS Code. Update the database settings with your preferred database engine, name, user, and password. By default, Django uses SQLite for local development:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
        'NAME': os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'db.sqlite3'),
    }
}

Step 5: Apply Migrations

Run the initial migrations to create the database schema:

python manage.py migrate

Step 6: Create a Superuser

Create a superuser account to access the Django admin interface:

python manage.py createsuperuser

Follow the prompts to enter a username, email, and password.

Step 7: Start the Development Server

Start the Django development server:

python manage.py runserver

You should see output indicating that the development server is running. By default, it will run on http://127.0.0.1:8000/.

Step 8: Access the Admin Interface

Open your web browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/. Log in with the superuser credentials you created in Step 6.

Step 9: Start Building Your Django App

You can now start building your Django app by creating models, views, templates, and URL patterns. Remember to activate your virtual environment every time you work on the project.

Step 10: Install Required Packages

As you develop your project, you may need to install additional Python packages. Always install them within your virtual environment using pip install.

That's it! You've successfully set up and run a Django project locally in VS Code. You can continue developing your project by creating Django apps, defining models, views, and templates, and configuring URL patterns.