brainlylab-backend

Steps to Set up the backend on your local device:

1️⃣ Clone the repository

cd "Path to wherever you want to clone it."
git clone <repo-url>
cd brainlylab-backend

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2️⃣ Create a virtual environment

python -m venv venv

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3️⃣ Activate the virtual environment (Windows)

.\venv\Scripts\activate

Terminal shows:

(venv)

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4️⃣ Install project dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

This installs Django and other required libraries.

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5️⃣ Create the .env file

Copy the example environment file:

copy .env.example .env

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6️⃣ Edit .env with PostgreSQL credentials

Example:

DB_NAME=brainlylab
DB_USER=postgres
DB_PASSWORD=your_postgres_password
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432

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7️⃣ Install PostgreSQL

Install:

• PostgreSQL server
• pgAdmin

PostgreSQL runs the database.

pgAdmin is the GUI tool to manage it.

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8️⃣ Create the database in pgAdmin

Inside pgAdmin:

Servers
  → PostgreSQL
      → Databases
          → Create Database

Database name:

brainlylab

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9️⃣ Apply Django migrations

This creates tables in the database.

python manage.py migrate

You saw many lines like:

Applying auth.0001_initial... OK

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🔟 Start the backend server

python manage.py runserver

Server runs at:

http://127.0.0.1:8000

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Final Architecture You Built

GitHub Repo
     ↓
Virtual Environment
     ↓
Django Backend
     ↓
PostgreSQL Database
     ↓
Local Server (127.0.0.1:8000)

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Quick Developer Command Summary

If you open the project again, you only need:

cd brainlylab-backend
.\venv\Scripts\activate
python manage.py runserver

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