Tailwind & Django - Free Starter
Tags: tailwindcss, django, opensource, webdev
Published: 2023-10-04 08:53:44

---
title: Tailwind & Django - Free Starter
published: true
description: Open-source starter powered by Django and Tailwind CSS, two leading technologies for the modern web - Rocket Django
tags: tailwind, django, opensource, webdev
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0adjj1a3n0z35x9kpxod.jpg
canonical_url: https://blog.appseed.us/tailwind-django-free-starter/
---
Hello Coders!
 
This article presents an open-source [Tailwind & Django](https://github.com/app-generator/rocket-django) project styled with `Flowbite`, a popular UI Library built on top of **Tailwind**. 

[Rocket Django ](https://rocket-django.onrender.com/) provides a minimal codebase, Tailwind-compatible tooling, Docker, and CI/CD support for Render. The product can be used to bootstrap any type of product on top of `Django & Tailwind`, two popular technologies for the modern web.

- 👉 [Tailwind & Django Starter](https://rocket-django.onrender.com/) - `LIVE Demo`
- 👉 [Tailwind & Django Starter](https://github.com/app-generator/rocket-django) - `Source Code`

---

The product can be used in a local environment if NodeJs, Python, and (optionally) Docker are already present and properly configured.

For those interested in compiling the product, here are the steps (manual setup):

> ✅ Clone/Download the sources

```bash
$ git clone https://github.com/app-generator/rocket-django.git
$ cd rocket-django
```

---

> ✅  Install Dependencies

```bash
$ virtualenv env
$ source env/bin/activate
$ pip install -r requirements.txt
```

---

> ✅ Install Tailwind/Flowbite (another terminal)

```bash
$ cd static
$ yarn  
$ npx tailwindcss -i ./src/input.css -o ./dist/css/output.css --watch   
```

---

> ✅ Migrate Database

```bash
$ python manage.py makemigrations
$ python manage.py migrate
```

---

> ✅ Start the Django & Tailwind App

```bash
$ python manage.py createsuperuser # create the admin
$ python manage.py runserver       # start the project
``` 

At this point, we should see the dashboard view provided by the Flowbite dashboard. 

![Tailwind & Django - Main Dashboard (Desktop & Mobile)](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hpnq294i5btng770fltn.gif)

---

Another way to start the product is to use the Docker Compose Script shipped with the sources. By navigating to the root of the source code, this is what we need to type in the terminal:

```bash
$ docker-compose up --build 
```

For Docker execution, the app starts on `localhost:5085`

This simple starter also provides a [starter page](https://rocket-django.onrender.com/starter/) with a responsive navigation bar and a hero section.

![Tailwind & Django - The Starter Page (Flowbite Components)](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/8evs6w6wm32psbqai5rz.png)

---

## ✅ Resources

For more resources and support, follow up on the links & information presented in the following section.

- 👉 Access [AppSeed](https://appseed.us/) for support and starters  
- 👉 Free [Django App Generator](https://app-generator.dev/django/) - A 2nd generation App Builder

---

### ✅ [What is Tailwind](https://docs.appseed.us/content/what-is/tailwind-css/)

**Tailwind CSS** is a popular utility-first CSS framework used for building responsive and customizable web interfaces. It provides a set of pre-designed utility classes that you can apply directly to HTML elements to style and layout your web pages.

Tailwind CSS is known for its simplicity and flexibility, allowing developers to rapidly create modern and visually appealing user interfaces.

> Utility-First ​

Tailwind CSS promotes a utility-first approach to styling, where you apply classes directly to HTML elements to define styles. These classes provide a wide range of styling options, such as colors, typography, spacing, and flexbox-based layouts.

> Component-Oriented​

Tailwind CSS can be used in conjunction with component-based frameworks or libraries like Vue.js or React. You can build reusable UI components and apply Tailwind classes to style them.

> Plugins​

Tailwind CSS supports plugins that add additional utility classes or functionality. This allows you to tailor the framework to your project's needs and integrate third-party plugins as well.

![What is Tailwind - A popular CSS Framework](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ut5ki6voh852v2xcn5xo.png)

---

### ✅ [What is Django](https://docs.appseed.us/content/what-is/django/)

**Django** is a high-level, open-source web framework written in Python that enables developers to build web applications quickly and with a clean, pragmatic design.  

It follows the "batteries-included" philosophy, providing a comprehensive set of tools and libraries that simplify common web development tasks, such as handling databases, managing user authentication, and generating HTML templates.  

Django can be used to code simple websites, CMS (content management system), eCommerce Platforms, APIs, or as an interface to ML/AI systems.

![What is Django - A leading Backend Framework crafted in Python](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0c9atoscmlk738xyw5hx.png)