Creating and Managing Users in Django

Django provides a robust authentication system that includes tools for creating and managing users. This article explains how to create users, manage their data, and handle authentication in Django.

1. Using the Default User Model

Django's default User model is located in django.contrib.auth.models. It includes fields like username, email, password, and more. You can use it to create and manage users.

Creating a User

            
    # Create a user using the Django shell
    from django.contrib.auth.models import User

    # Create a new user
    user = User.objects.create_user(username='john', email='john@example.com', password='mypassword')
    user.save()

The create_user() method hashes the password automatically.

Superuser Creation

You can create a superuser (admin) using the createsuperuser management command:

            
    # Run this command in the terminal
    python manage.py createsuperuser

Follow the prompts to set up the superuser's credentials.

2. Registering Users via Forms

To allow user registration, you can create a registration form using the default user model:

            
    # forms.py
    from django import forms
    from django.contrib.auth.models import User

    class UserRegistrationForm(forms.ModelForm):
        password = forms.CharField(widget=forms.PasswordInput)
        confirm_password = forms.CharField(widget=forms.PasswordInput)

        class Meta:
            model = User
            fields = ['username', 'email', 'password']

        def clean_confirm_password(self):
            password = self.cleaned_data.get('password')
            confirm_password = self.cleaned_data.get('confirm_password')
            if password != confirm_password:
                raise forms.ValidationError("Passwords do not match.")
            return confirm_password

Handling Registration in a View

            
    # views.py
    from django.shortcuts import render, redirect
    from .forms import UserRegistrationForm

    def register(request):
        if request.method == 'POST':
            form = UserRegistrationForm(request.POST)
            if form.is_valid():
                user = form.save(commit=False)
                user.set_password(form.cleaned_data['password'])  # Hash the password
                user.save()
                return redirect('login')
        else:
            form = UserRegistrationForm()
        return render(request, 'register.html', {'form': form})

3. Authenticating and Logging In Users

Use Django's built-in authentication methods to log users in and out:

            
    # views.py
    from django.contrib.auth import authenticate, login, logout
    from django.shortcuts import render, redirect

    def login_view(request):
        if request.method == 'POST':
            username = request.POST['username']
            password = request.POST['password']
            user = authenticate(request, username=username, password=password)
            if user is not None:
                login(request, user)
                return redirect('home')
            else:
                return render(request, 'login.html', {'error': 'Invalid credentials'})
        return render(request, 'login.html')

    def logout_view(request):
        logout(request)
        return redirect('login')

4. Managing Users

Once users are created, you can manage them using the Django admin interface or programmatically:

            
    # Updating user information
    user = User.objects.get(username='john')
    user.email = 'john.new@example.com'
    user.save()

    # Deleting a user
    user.delete()

5. Customizing the User Model

If the default user model does not meet your needs, you can create a custom user model by extending AbstractUser:

            
    # models.py
    from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractUser
    from django.db import models

    class CustomUser(AbstractUser):
        phone_number = models.CharField(max_length=15, blank=True)

    # settings.py
    AUTH_USER_MODEL = 'yourapp.CustomUser'

This allows you to add custom fields like phone_number.

6. Using Django's Built-in Views

Django provides ready-to-use views for user management:

            
    # urls.py
    from django.contrib.auth import views as auth_views
    from django.urls import path

    urlpatterns = [
        path('login/', auth_views.LoginView.as_view(), name='login'),
        path('logout/', auth_views.LogoutView.as_view(), name='logout'),
        path('password_change/', auth_views.PasswordChangeView.as_view(), name='password_change'),
    ]

7. Conclusion

In Django, managing users is straightforward with the built-in authentication framework. You can create users using the default model, customize it, and use built-in views for handling authentication. These tools provide flexibility and security for user management in your applications.




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