Subject: Assistance Needed – Create Django Superuser (Azure App Service)

Question

I am deploying a Django backend on Azure App Service. The application is running, but SSH/Kudu instability during startup has prevented me from reliably running python manage.py createsuperuser.

I need assistance creating a Django superuser for the production database so I can access the Django admin.

Please let me know if you can:

Temporarily run createsuperuser on my behalf, or

Provide the recommended Azure-supported method to create a Django superuser when SSH is unstable.

Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

Hi @Damion Barrett ,

Thank you for reaching out. I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with SSH/Kudu during startup. Due to access restrictions, we aren't able to run the createsuperuser command for you, but you can use the Azure App Service Console, which is more reliable than SSH, to set up your Django superuser for the production database.

Steps to Create a Superuser

1. Open your App Service in the Azure portal and go to Development Tools > Console.
2. Use cd /home/site/wwwroot to navigate to your app directory.
3. Run python manage.py migrate to update your database.
4. Then, run python manage.py createsuperuser and enter the required details.

Afterward, log into your Django admin at using your new credentials. The Console is stable and remains available even after restarts.

Reference:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/quickstart-python?tabs=flask%2Cwindows%2Cazure-cli%2Cazure-cli-deploy%2Cdeploy-instructions-azportal%2Cterminal-bash%2Cdeploy-instructions-zip-azcli

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/tutorial-python-postgresql-app-django?tabs=copilot&pivots=azure-portal

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/configure-common?tabs=portal#access-files-via-console

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/tutorial-python-postgresql-app-flask?tabs=copilot&pivots=azure-portal

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/resources-kudu

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

 

Please "upvote" if the information helped you. This will help us and others in the community as well.

Answer 2

To create a Django superuser in a production environment on Azure App Service, especially when facing SSH instability, you can follow these steps:

1. Use the Azure App Service Console: Instead of SSH, you can use the Azure App Service Console, which is accessible through the Azure portal. Here’s how:
   • Go to your Azure App Service in the Azure portal.
   • In the left menu, select Development Tools > Console.
   • In the console, navigate to your application directory if necessary.
   • Run the command python manage.py createsuperuser directly in the console.
2. Run Migrations First: Ensure that you have run any necessary migrations before creating the superuser. You can do this in the same console with python manage.py migrate.
3. Environment Variables: Make sure that your environment variables are set correctly, as they might affect the command execution.
4. Alternative Methods: If the console method is also unstable, consider creating a management command that creates a superuser automatically and running it once your app starts. This can be done by creating a custom management command in your Django app.

These methods should help you create a superuser without relying solely on SSH.

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References:

• Deploy a Python Django web app with PostgreSQL in Azure
• Create and deploy a Django web app to Azure with a user-assigned managed identity