Deploy a Django or Flask app on cPanel with Setup Python App

On cPanel servers with CloudLinux, Setup Python App runs Python web apps through Phusion Passenger, without root access. This guide shows how to deploy Django on cPanel, and the same steps work for Flask with a smaller WSGI file.

Before you start

• A cPanel account where Software → Setup Python App is available.
• SSH or the cPanel Terminal for installing packages (recommended).
• Your project files and a requirements.txt.
• A MySQL database and user created in cPanel → Databases → Manage My Databases.

Create the Python application

1. Open cPanel → Software → Setup Python App and click Create Application.
2. Choose a Python version your project supports.
3. Application root: a folder in your home directory, e.g. myproject (keep it outside public_html).
4. Application URL: the domain or subdomain to serve.
5. Application startup file: passenger_wsgi.py; Entry point: application.
6. Click Create. cPanel creates the folder, a virtualenv and a sample passenger_wsgi.py.

The top of the app page shows a command to enter the virtualenv, similar to:

source /home/USER/virtualenv/myproject/3.11/bin/activate && cd /home/USER/myproject

Upload code and install requirements

Upload your project into the application root (File Manager, SFTP or Git). Then, over SSH, run the activation command and install:

pip install -r requirements.txt

For MySQL with Django, mysqlclient needs compiling; if that fails, use PyMySQL and add import pymysql; pymysql.install_as_MySQLdb() to settings.py. You can also add packages from the app page under Configuration files → Run Pip Install.

Edit passenger_wsgi.py

For Django (project package myproject):

import os
import sys

sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(__file__))
os.environ.setdefault('DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE', 'myproject.settings')

from django.core.wsgi import get_wsgi_application
application = get_wsgi_application()

For Flask (app object app in app.py):

import os, sys
sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(__file__))
from app import app as application

Configure Django settings

DEBUG = False
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['example.com', 'www.example.com']
DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.mysql',
        'NAME': 'user_dbname',
        'USER': 'user_dbuser',
        'PASSWORD': 'strong-password',
        'HOST': 'localhost',
    }
}
STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATIC_ROOT = '/home/USER/public_html/static'

Add secrets through Environment variables on the Setup Python App page instead of hard-coding them. Then run, inside the virtualenv:

python manage.py migrate && python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

Static files collected into public_html/static are served directly by the web server. If the app URL is the main domain, make sure the folder is reachable at /static/.

Restart and test

Click Restart on the app page after every code or settings change (or touch tmp/restart.txt in the app root). Open the URL; you should see your site.

Troubleshooting

• "We're sorry, but something went wrong": a Passenger startup error. Check stderr.log in the app root (enable it under the app's log settings) and the domain's error log.
• ModuleNotFoundError: packages were installed outside the virtualenv. Run the activation command first, then pip.
• DisallowedHost: add the domain to ALLOWED_HOSTS.
• Admin without styling: collectstatic was not run or STATIC_ROOT is not web-accessible.
• Long tasks killed: CloudLinux resource limits apply; move heavy jobs to cron.

Python on cPanel FAQ

Can I use PostgreSQL?

Only if the server has PostgreSQL enabled in cPanel. Otherwise use MySQL/MariaDB.

Do WebSockets or Celery work?

Passenger serves standard WSGI requests. WebSockets, Celery workers and other long-running processes need a VPS.

Can I choose the Python version later?

Yes, edit the app and pick another version, then reinstall requirements into the new virtualenv.

Next steps

• Deploy Python with Gunicorn on a VPS
• MySQL databases and users in cPanel
• CloudLinux resource limit errors