Deploying Django Applications on Google Cloud Run

Based on your issues with Heroku, Google Cloud Run is an excellent alternative for hosting your Django portfolio project. It offers a generous free tier and has well-maintained documentation for Python applications.

Why Google Cloud Run?

• Free tier: Includes 2 million requests per month and 360,000 GB-seconds of compute time
• Containerized: Scales to zero when not in use (saving costs)
• Well-documented: Extensive documentation for Python and Django deployments
• Reliable: Built on Google's infrastructure

Deploying Django to Cloud Run

1. Prepare your Django application

Ensure your project structure includes a proper wsgi.py file. This should be in your project directory (created by default with Django projects).

2. Create a Dockerfile

DOCKERFILECopied
# Use Python 3.9 slim image
FROM python:3.9-slim

# Set working directory
WORKDIR /app

# Copy requirements and install dependencies
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt

# Copy project files
COPY . .

# Set environment variables
ENV PORT=8080
ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1

# Run gunicorn
CMD exec gunicorn --bind :$PORT --workers 1 --threads 8 --timeout 0 your_project_name.wsgi:application

3. Create/update requirements.txt

Make sure to include these packages:

Django==5.1
gunicorn==22.0.0
# Add other dependencies your project needs

4. Configure for Cloud Run

Create a .dockerignore file to exclude unnecessary files:

.git
.github
.gitignore
*.pyc
__pycache__/
*.pyo
*.pyd
.Python
env/
venv/
.env
.venv

5. Deploy to Cloud Run

1. Install Google Cloud CLI
2. Authenticate: gcloud auth login
3. Build and deploy:

BASHCopied
# Build the container
gcloud builds submit --tag gcr.io/YOUR_PROJECT_ID/django-app

# Deploy to Cloud Run
gcloud run deploy django-app \
  --image gcr.io/YOUR_PROJECT_ID/django-app \
  --platform managed \
  --allow-unauthenticated

Alternative WSGI Servers

If you encounter issues with gunicorn, you can try these alternatives:

BASHCopied
# Using uwsgi
uwsgi --http :$PORT -s /tmp/app.sock --manage-script-name --mount /app=your_project_name.wsgi:application

# Using uvicorn
uvicorn --port $PORT --host 0.0.0.0 your_project_name.wsgi:application

# Using waitress
waitress-serve --port $PORT your_project_name.wsgi:application

Important Deployment Considerations

1. Static files: Configure Cloud Storage for serving static files
2. Database: Consider using a managed database or SQLite for simple projects
3. Environment variables: Set sensitive configuration via Cloud Run environment variables
4. Deployment checklist: Run Django's deployment checklist before going live:

   BASHCopied
   python manage.py check --deploy

Google Cloud Run provides a reliable, scalable platform for your Django portfolio project with excellent documentation and a generous free tier, making it an ideal Heroku alternative.