Things I do every time I start a Django project

A lot! Django is my go-to framework for spinning up a quick personal project, and while it's a fantastic framework, a big part of the reason I love Django is that it feels familiar. While it's one that you can get away with if you're keeping your source private, I reconfigure the SECRET KEY as an environment variable on every new project. Change the database configuration to DATABASE URL. Django uses SQLite out of the box for new projects. I always try to name my first app after the primary model that the project is about. You're starting a project with an idea, and if you're using Django that idea probably revolves around a particular model. By default, Django will look for templates inside each of your INSTALLED APPS. As the project grows you might move this into a more central location. You can now push this project to a public repository without leaking your SECRET KEY or database credentials.