🌐 Self-Hosting Django with Nginx + Cloudflare Tunnel: Configure a Production-Ready Server

If you've built a Django app and are itching to take full control—why not host it yourself? Whether it’s a server or an old laptop collecting dust or a Raspberry Pi humming silently in your drawer, you can turn it into a full-fledged server. No monthly bills. No vendor lock-in. Just you, your machine, and the internet.

In this guide, we’ll:

✅ Set up a Django project running with Uvicorn
✅ Install and configure Nginx as a reverse proxy
✅ Secure it using a Cloudflare Tunnel (no need to mess with routers or public IPs)
✅ Learn to Config server, local system or repurpose any machine (even a Raspberry Pi) as your personal web server

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🚧 Prerequisites

• Basic Linux knowledge

• A Django project (or start one with django-admin startproject)

• A Cloudflare account

• A domain (optional but recommended)

• Server ,Old PC, laptop, or Raspberry Pi or Any Linux (Ubuntu recommended) System

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🔧 Step 1: Get Django Running Locally

First, set up your Python virtual environment and run Django via Uvicorn:

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install django uvicorn

Now run your app:

uvicorn yourproject.asgi:application --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000

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🚀 Step 2: Install & Configure Nginx

Install Nginx:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Create a config file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/myproject

Paste this:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }

    location /static/ {
        alias /home/youruser/yourproject/static/;
    }

    location /media/ {
        alias /home/youruser/yourproject/media/;
    }
}

Activate it:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/myproject /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

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🔒 Step 3: Setup Cloudflare Tunnel (No Port Forwarding Needed!)

Install Cloudflared:

wget https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared/releases/latest/download/cloudflared-linux-amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i cloudflared-linux-amd64.deb

Authenticate:

cloudflared tunnel login

Create the tunnel:

cloudflared tunnel create mytunnel

Find the credentials file here:

~/.cloudflared/<tunnel-ID>.json

Now, configure it:

nano ~/.cloudflared/config.yml

Paste and edit:

tunnel: <TUNNEL-ID>
credentials-file: /home/youruser/.cloudflared/<TUNNEL-ID>.json

ingress:
  - hostname: yourdomain.com
    service: http://localhost:80
  - service: http_status:404

Route your domain:

cloudflared tunnel route dns mytunnel yourdomain.com

Run the tunnel:

cloudflared tunnel run mytunnel

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📁 Step 4: Django Static & Media Files

In settings.py:

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['yourdomain.com', '127.0.0.1', 'localhost']

STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static')

MEDIA_URL = '/media/'
MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'media')

Run:

python manage.py collectstatic

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⚙️ (Optional) Step 5: Run Uvicorn on Boot with Systemd

Create the service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/myproject.service

Paste:

[Unit]
Description=Uvicorn instance to serve Django
After=network.target

[Service]
User=youruser
Group=www-data
WorkingDirectory=/home/youruser/yourproject
Environment="PATH=/home/youruser/yourproject/venv/bin"
ExecStart=/home/youruser/yourproject/venv/bin/uvicorn yourproject.asgi:application --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Start it:

sudo systemctl daemon-reexec
sudo systemctl start myproject
sudo systemctl enable myproject

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✅ Final Checklist

• Django project running on Uvicorn

• Nginx reverse proxy to Uvicorn

• Static and media paths handled

• Cloudflare Tunnel pointing to Nginx (port 80)

• Optional daemon service with Systemd

• Own server or Old machine recycled into something awesome

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🌍 You now own your corner of the Internet.

You're not relying on a PaaS. You’re running your server, your way. Whether it's for learning, showcasing projects, or building secure internal tools — self-hosting with Cloudflare and Nginx gives you full control and privacy.