Choose Your Web Stack
Every Join4Crew template comes ready to deploy on your preferred OS and server stack. Here's everything you need to know before you go live.
Linux — The Engine Behind 96% of Web Servers
When you deploy a Django application to production, you're almost certainly deploying it on Linux. It's free, open-source, highly configurable, and runs on everything from a $4/mo VPS to enterprise bare-metal clusters. Below are the distros we test every Join4Crew template against.
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Most popular Django host. 5-year LTS support, massive community, excellent package availability. Our top recommendation for any new Django project.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Cutting-edge packages with 5-year LTS support. Perfect for new deployments from 2024 onwards where you want the freshest Python and PostgreSQL packages.
Debian 12 (Bookworm)
Ultra-stable, minimal footprint, rock-solid reliability. Ideal when you want a lean server that just works without unnecessary complexity or bloat.
Rocky Linux 9
Enterprise RHEL-compatible replacement for CentOS. Perfect for corporate environments requiring Red Hat compatibility without the licensing costs.
AlmaLinux 9
Free RHEL binary-compatible alternative. Ideal for teams migrating from CentOS with zero hassle — drop-in replacement, no workflow changes required.
Alpine Linux 3
Only 5MB base image — Docker's best friend. Minimal attack surface, insanely fast container builds, and a perfect base for production Docker images.
CentOS Stream 9
Rolling release, upstream RHEL testing ground. Best for developers who want to preview enterprise features — not recommended for stable production workloads.
Fedora Server
Latest upstream packages, great for local development. Not recommended for production — no LTS releases means frequent forced upgrades and instability risk.
A note on other OS
Windows Server supports Django but is significantly more complex to configure and more expensive to run — avoid unless required by policy. macOS is development only.
How Your Django App Talks to the World
Django itself doesn't handle raw HTTP in production — it relies on a WSGI or ASGI gateway to communicate with a front-end web server. The combination you choose affects performance, WebSocket support, and operational complexity.
🔥 Nginx + Gunicorn
RECOMMENDEDPROS
- Industry standard
- Fast static file serving
- Excellent community docs
CONS
- Two processes to manage
- No native WebSocket
⚡ Nginx + uWSGI
PROS
- Slightly faster throughput
- Battle-tested reliability
- Fine-grained tuning
CONS
- Complex config vs Gunicorn
- Steeper learning curve
🏛️ Apache2 + mod_wsgi
PROS
- Works on shared hosting
- Django's original server
- .htaccess familiar
CONS
- Heavier than Nginx
- Slower static serving
🔄 Daphne + Nginx
PROS
- Full WebSocket support
- Async Django Channels
- Real-time features
CONS
- More complex setup
- Requires Django Channels
🐳 Docker + Nginx + Gunicorn
POPULARPROS
- Identical dev/prod envs
- Easy Docker Compose scaling
- Isolated dependencies
CONS
- Docker learning curve
- Slight overhead vs bare metal
✨ Caddy + Gunicorn
PROS
- Auto HTTPS via Let's Encrypt
- Simpler config than Nginx
- HTTP/3 support
CONS
- Fewer community resources
- Newer ecosystem
Deploy Without Managing Your Own Server
PaaS and managed cloud platforms handle the infrastructure for you — no Nginx config, no SSH access, no 3am outage calls. Pick the platform that matches your scale and budget.
Heroku
The original Django cloud. Simple git push deploy with a huge plugin marketplace.
Easiest setup
Expensive at scale
Render
Modern Heroku alternative — free PostgreSQL, auto SSL, zero-config deploys.
Managed PostgreSQL included
Free tier sleeps after 15 min
Railway
Full-stack developer platform — database, Redis, and your Django app in one dashboard.
DB + Redis in one project
$5/mo credit limit on free plan
Fly.io
Deploy Django at the edge — globally distributed, runs in 30+ regions worldwide.
Edge deployment globally
CLI-first, limited free plan
DO App Platform
Managed containers on DigitalOcean's reliable and affordable infrastructure.
Integrates with DO databases
No auto-scale to zero
AWS Elastic Beanstalk
Enterprise-grade Django hosting on AWS infrastructure with auto-scaling and SLAs.
Full AWS ecosystem
AWS expertise required
Google Cloud Run
Serverless containers — pay only when your app serves traffic. Scales to zero.
Scales to zero, free when idle
Cold starts, Docker required
VPS / Bare Metal
Full server control on DigitalOcean Droplets, Linode, Hetzner, or Vultr.
Cheapest for persistent apps
You manage everything
We Handle the Hard Part
Every Join4Crew template ships with platform-specific setup scripts so you can go from purchase to live in minutes — no DevOps knowledge required.
Windows
Batch scripts (.bat)
setup.bat
deploy.bat
config.bat
- ✓ Creates Python virtual environment
- ✓ Installs all dependencies
- ✓ Configures database
- ✓ Sets up .env variables
- ✓ Runs Django migrations
- ✓ Collects static files
macOS
Shell scripts (.sh)
setup_mac.sh
deploy_mac.sh
config_mac.sh
- ✓ Creates Python virtual environment
- ✓ Installs all dependencies
- ✓ Configures database
- ✓ Sets up .env variables
- ✓ Runs Django migrations
- ✓ Nginx + Gunicorn service
- ✓ SSL via Let's Encrypt
Linux
Shell scripts (.sh)
setup_linux.sh
deploy_linux.sh
config_linux.sh
- ✓ Creates Python virtual environment
- ✓ Installs all dependencies
- ✓ Configures PostgreSQL for prod
- ✓ Sets up .env variables
- ✓ Runs Django migrations
- ✓ Nginx + Gunicorn service
- ✓ SSL via Let's Encrypt
- ✓ systemd auto-restart on reboot
Ready to Go Live?
Pick any template — every one comes with full server scripts, deployment guides, and our support. You'll be running on production infrastructure in the time it takes to drink a coffee.