How to Deploy Django with Gunicorn, Nginx, and Supervisor on Ubuntu

Why This Stack for Django Deployment?

This production-ready setup combines the best tools for Django deployment:

• Gunicorn: A robust WSGI HTTP server for Python applications
• Nginx: High-performance web server and reverse proxy
• Supervisor: Process control system to keep your app running

Together they provide security, performance, and reliability for your Django application.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu server (18.04/20.04/22.04)
• Python 3.6+ installed
• Django project ready for deployment
• Basic familiarity with Linux commands

Step 1: Install Required Packages

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-pip python3-dev libpq-dev nginx supervisor

Step 2: Set Up Virtual Environment

python3 -m venv myenv
source myenv/bin/activate
pip install django gunicorn psycopg2-binary

Step 3: Configure Gunicorn

Test Gunicorn can serve your Django project:

gunicorn --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 myproject.wsgi:application

Create a Gunicorn systemd service file at /etc/systemd/system/gunicorn.service:

[Unit]
Description=gunicorn daemon
After=network.target

[Service]
User=www-data
Group=www-data
WorkingDirectory=/path/to/your/project
ExecStart=/path/to/venv/bin/gunicorn --access-logfile - --workers 3 --bind unix:/path/to/your/project/myproject.sock myproject.wsgi:application

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl start gunicorn
sudo systemctl enable gunicorn

Step 4: Configure Nginx

Create an Nginx config file at /etc/nginx/sites-available/myproject:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    location = /favicon.ico { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
    location /static/ {
        root /path/to/your/project;
    }

    location / {
        include proxy_params;
        proxy_pass http://unix:/path/to/your/project/myproject.sock;
    }
}

Enable the configuration and test Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/myproject /etc/nginx/sites-enabled
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 5: Set Up Supervisor

Create a Supervisor config file at /etc/supervisor/conf.d/gunicorn.conf:

[program:gunicorn]
command=/path/to/venv/bin/gunicorn --workers 3 --bind unix:/path/to/your/project/myproject.sock myproject.wsgi:application
directory=/path/to/your/project
user=www-data
autostart=true
autorestart=true
stderr_logfile=/var/log/gunicorn.err.log
stdout_logfile=/var/log/gunicorn.out.log

Update Supervisor and start your application:

sudo supervisorctl reread
sudo supervisorctl update
sudo supervisorctl start gunicorn

Security Considerations

• Set up SSL/TLS with Let's Encrypt
• Configure proper file permissions
• Use environment variables for sensitive data
• Implement proper firewall rules (UFW)

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• 502 Bad Gateway: Check Gunicorn is running and socket permissions
• Static files not loading: Verify Nginx has proper access to static directory
• Supervisor not starting: Check log files for specific errors

Optimizing Your Setup

• Adjust Gunicorn worker count (typically 2-4 x CPU cores)
• Implement database connection pooling
• Set up proper caching with Redis or Memcached
• Configure log rotation

Conclusion: Production-Ready Django Deployment

You now have a robust Django deployment stack that can handle real-world traffic. This setup provides the foundation you can build upon with additional optimizations as your application grows.

Next steps: Monitor your application's performance, set up automated backups, and consider implementing CI/CD pipelines for smoother deployments.