Python Tutorial: Build a SaaS App with Django, Stripe, Neon PostgreSQL, TailwindCSS, GitHub Actions

Introduction

This tutorial guides you through building a Software as a Service (SaaS) application using Django, Stripe, and PostgreSQL with Neon. You will learn to set up a Django project, integrate various features like user authentication with Django AllAuth, manage subscriptions with Stripe, and deploy your app using Railway. By the end, you will have a functional web application ready for production.

Step 1: Start Your Django Project

1. Install Django if you haven't already:

   pip install django
   

2. Create a new Django project:

   django-admin startproject myproject
   

3. Navigate into your project directory:

   cd myproject
   

Step 2: Create Your First HTML Webpage

1. Create a new app within your project:

   python manage.py startapp myapp
   

2. Add your app to INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py:

   INSTALLED_APPS = [
       ...
       'myapp',
   ]
   

3. Create a basic view in myapp/views.py:

   from django.http import HttpResponse
   
   def home(request):
       return HttpResponse("<h1>Welcome to my SaaS App</h1>")
   

4. Map the view to a URL in myapp/urls.py:

   from django.urls import path
   from .views import home
   
   urlpatterns = [
       path('', home, name='home'),
   ]
   

Step 3: Use Django Templates

1. Create a folder named templates in your app directory.
2. Create an HTML file (e.g., index.html) inside the templates folder.
3. Modify your view to render the template:

   from django.shortcuts import render
   
   def home(request):
       return render(request, 'index.html')
   

Step 4: Configure Static Files

1. Add static files settings in settings.py:

   STATIC_URL = '/static/'
   

2. Create a static directory in your app for CSS and JS files.

Step 5: Set Up User Authentication

1. Install Django AllAuth to manage user authentication:

   pip install django-allauth
   

2. Add AllAuth to INSTALLED_APPS:

   INSTALLED_APPS = [
       ...
       'django.contrib.sites',
       'allauth',
       'allauth.account',
       'allauth.socialaccount',
   ]
   

3. Configure authentication backend in settings.py:

   AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS = (
       ...
       'allauth.account.auth_backends.AuthenticationBackend',
   )
   

4. Add URLs for AllAuth in your main urls.py:

   path('accounts/', include('allauth.urls')),
   

Step 6: Integrate Stripe for Payments

1. Install Stripe package:

   pip install stripe
   

2. Create a Stripe account and retrieve your API keys.
3. Configure Stripe keys in settings.py:

   STRIPE_TEST_PUBLIC_KEY = 'your-public-key'
   STRIPE_TEST_SECRET_KEY = 'your-secret-key'
   

Step 7: Set Up PostgreSQL with Neon

1. Create a Neon account and provision a PostgreSQL database.
2. Install PostgreSQL adapter:

   pip install psycopg2
   

3. Update your database settings in settings.py:

   DATABASES = {
       'default': {
           'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
           'NAME': 'your_database_name',
           'USER': 'your_username',
           'PASSWORD': 'your_password',
           'HOST': 'your_neon_host',
           'PORT': '5432',
       }
   }
   

Step 8: Deploy to Railway

1. Create a Dockerfile for your app.
2. Set up a Railway project and connect your GitHub repository.
3. Configure environment variables in Railway for your app settings.

Conclusion

You have now set up a basic SaaS application using Django, integrated user authentication, payment processing with Stripe, and connected to a PostgreSQL database hosted on Neon. Next, consider enhancing your app with additional features like user permissions, email notifications, and a more polished UI. Explore the provided links for more detailed guides on specific functionalities and best practices in deploying and managing your Django application.