Install

Use a fresh virtual environment. The PyPI distribution is named cppdjango, but the Python package remains django:

python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install cppdjango==6.0.7.post1

cppdjango replaces upstream Django. Do not install the Django and cppdjango distributions in the same environment because both own the django import namespace. When converting an existing environment, remove upstream Django first:

python -m pip uninstall -y Django
python -m pip install cppdjango==6.0.7.post1

The package contains native code. If no compatible wheel is available, pip builds it from source and needs:

• Python 3.12 or newer;

• CMake 3.26 or newer and Ninja or Make;

• a C++ compiler with the C++26 features used by cppdjango;

• OpenSSL and zlib development headers and libraries.

For example, on macOS with Homebrew:

brew install cmake ninja openssl@3
CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$(brew --prefix openssl@3)" \
  python -m pip install cppdjango==6.0.7.post1

On a Debian-family Linux system, install CMake, Ninja, OpenSSL and zlib development packages plus a recent compiler. Package names vary by release; one typical setup is:

sudo apt install cmake ninja-build g++-15 libssl-dev zlib1g-dev
CXX=g++-15 python -m pip install cppdjango==6.0.7.post1

Verify both the distribution version and native extension:

python -c "import django; from django import native; print(django.__version__, native.version(), native.compiler())"

Both versions should report 6.0.7.post1 and the compiler should not report none. DJANGO_NATIVE=0 disables the extension for comparison and diagnostics; it is not needed for ordinary use.

PostgreSQL

Database drivers remain separate, just as they are in Django. For PostgreSQL:

python -m pip install "psycopg[binary]>=3.1"

Third-party packages that declare a dependency on the distribution name Django cannot express that cppdjango supplies the same import API. Installing such a package may cause pip to add upstream Django. Install and review those dependencies deliberately, and confirm with:

python -m pip list | grep -i django

Only cppdjango should own the django package in that environment.

Source installation

For development or a source checkout:

git clone https://github.com/adamdeprince/cppdjango.git
cd cppdjango
python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install -e ".[native-dev]"

Full installation notes are in docs/installation.md. Upstream Django’s documentation remains applicable unless a cppdjango document says otherwise: https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/6.0/.

License and trademark

cppdjango retains Django’s BSD license and attribution. Django is a trademark of the Django Software Foundation. cppdjango is independent and is not endorsed by the Django Software Foundation.