Build an Inventory Management System with Python and Django: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Inventory management is essential for any business to keep track of their products, sales, and stock levels. In this tutorial, we will learn how to build an inventory management system using Python and Django framework. Django is a high-level web framework that makes it easy to build web applications quickly.

Step 1: Install Django

First, you need to install Django on your system. You can do this using pip, the Python package installer. Open your terminal and type the following command:

pip install Django

Step 2: Create a Django Project

Next, create a new Django project by running the following command in your terminal:

django-admin startproject inventory_management_system

Step 3: Create a Django App

After creating the project, you need to create a new Django app. An app is a web application that does something – e.g., an inventory management system. Run the following command in your terminal to create a new app:

python manage.py startapp inventory

Step 4: Define Models

Models are used in Django to define the structure of your database tables. In our inventory management system, we will create models for products, orders, and inventory. Open the models.py file in your inventory app and define your models:

“`python
from django.db import models

class Product(models.Model):
name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
price = models.DecimalField(max_digits=10, decimal_places=2)
quantity = models.IntegerField()

class Order(models.Model):
product = models.ForeignKey(Product, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
quantity = models.IntegerField()
total_price = models.DecimalField(max_digits=10, decimal_places=2)

class Inventory(models.Model):
product = models.OneToOneField(Product, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
current_stock = models.IntegerField()
“`

Step 5: Create Views and Templates

Views handle the logic of your web application, while templates are used for rendering HTML. Create views and templates for your inventory management system by defining URLs, views, and templates in your Django app.

Step 6: Configure Admin Panel

Django comes with a built-in admin panel that allows you to manage your data easily. Register your models in the admin panel by creating an admin.py file in your inventory app:

“`python
from django.contrib import admin
from .models import Product, Order, Inventory

admin.site.register(Product)
admin.site.register(Order)
admin.site.register(Inventory)
“`

Step 7: Run the Django Server

Finally, run the Django server by executing the following command in your terminal:

python manage.py runserver

You can now access your inventory management system by going to http://127.0.0.1:8000/ in your web browser.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have learned how to build an inventory management system using Python and Django. We have created models for products, orders, and inventory, defined views and templates, and configured the admin panel. With this system, you can easily keep track of your products, sales, and stock levels.