"How to Build an Online Shopping Cart in Python(Django) and MySQL: A Step-by-Step Guide"

Project Overview: Online Shopping Cart

1. Project Objective

The Online Shopping Cart is an e-commerce platform designed to allow users to browse products, add them to their cart, and proceed to checkout with payment integration. The platform also includes an admin panel for managing products, stock levels, and processing orders. The system is developed using Python and Django, providing a robust and scalable framework for web applications.

Scope of the Project: Online Shopping Cart

The Online Shopping Cart project encompasses a broad range of features and functionalities, catering to both customers and administrators, with future scalability in mind. Below is a detailed breakdown of the scope of this project:

1. Functional Scope

1.1. Customer Features:

Product Browsing:

View a catalog of products with details like name, description, price, and images.
Filter products by category, price range, or other criteria.
Search for specific products using a search bar.

Shopping Cart Management:

Add items to the cart directly from the product listing or details page.
Update item quantities or remove items from the cart.
Display cart totals dynamically as items are added or updated.

Order Placement:

Provide a streamlined checkout process.
Collect shipping and billing information from customers.
Support guest checkout without requiring user registration.

Payment Integration:

Integrate a secure payment gateway (e.g., Stripe or PayPal).
Process payments and provide real-time feedback (e.g., successful/failed transactions).
Support multiple payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, and wallets.

Order Confirmation and History:

Show an order confirmation page upon successful checkout.
Send email notifications for order confirmations (optional).
Allow logged-in users to view their order history.

1.2. Admin Features:

Product Management:

Add, edit, and delete products.
Upload images for products and update descriptions and stock availability.
Assign products to categories for better organization.

Inventory Management:

Track product stock levels.
Receive alerts or notifications when stock is low (optional).

Order Management:

View and manage customer orders.
Update order statuses (e.g., pending, shipped, delivered).
Generate order invoices (optional).

User Management:

Manage registered customer accounts.
Provide role-based access control for admin users (e.g., super admin, staff).

2. Technical Scope

2.1. Frontend Development:

Use HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap to create a responsive and user-friendly interface.
Include JavaScript or libraries like jQuery for dynamic elements (e.g., cart updates).

2.2. Backend Development:

Develop the backend with Django.
Use Django’s Model-View-Template (MVT) architecture for clean and maintainable code.
Implement authentication and authorization for customers and admins.

2.3. Database:

Store product, customer, and order data in SQLite for development and PostgreSQL/MySQL for production.
Ensure efficient database queries with Django’s ORM.

2.4. Payment Gateway:

Integrate a payment gateway (e.g., Stripe or Razorpay) for secure transactions.
Handle payment responses (success or failure) and update order statuses accordingly.

2.5. Hosting and Deployment:

Host the application on a cloud platform like Heroku, AWS, or DigitalOcean.
Set up a CI/CD pipeline for smoother deployments.

3. Non-Functional Scope

3.1. Security:

Implement SSL/TLS for secure data transmission.
Use Django’s built-in security features to prevent SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF attacks.

3.2. Performance:

Optimize database queries for faster load times.
Use caching mechanisms (e.g., Redis) for frequently accessed data like product listings.

3.3. Scalability:

Design the application to support a growing number of users and products.
Use a scalable database and deploy on a platform that supports scaling (e.g., AWS).

3.4. Usability:

Ensure the interface is intuitive and accessible on both desktop and mobile devices.
Conduct user testing to refine the design.

3.5. Maintainability:

Write modular and reusable code.
Use Git for version control and documentation for easier collaboration.

4. Future Scope

4.1. Advanced Features:

Wishlist: Allow customers to save products for future purchases.
Product Reviews: Enable customers to leave feedback and ratings.
Coupons/Discounts: Support promotional codes for discounts.
Dynamic Pricing: Implement seasonal pricing or discounts.

4.2. Multi-Vendor Support:

Allow multiple sellers to manage their own products and sales.

4.3. Shipping and Delivery Integration:

Integrate with shipping APIs for live tracking of orders.
Provide estimated delivery times based on customer location.

4.4. Mobile App Development:

Create a mobile app version of the platform for Android and iOS.

5. Project Boundaries

The initial project will focus on basic e-commerce functionalities.
Advanced features like multi-vendor support or shipping integration can be added incrementally.
Hosting and domain purchase are outside the development scope but can be recommended.

Features and Functionality of the Online Shopping Cart Project

The Online Shopping Cart project provides a comprehensive e-commerce solution with robust features for both customers and administrators.

1. Customer Features

1.1. Product Browsing

Display products in a user-friendly grid or list format.
Show product details such as:

Name
Description
Price
Images
Stock availability

Enable category-based or filter-based navigation (e.g., price range, popularity).

1.2. Search Functionality

Provide a search bar to find specific products by keywords or tags.

1.3. Shopping Cart

Add products to the shopping cart.
Update product quantities in the cart dynamically.
Remove unwanted products from the cart.
Show a real-time total price calculation, including any applicable taxes.

1.4. User Authentication

Allow users to:

Register for a new account.
Log in to their account.
Recover their password via email.

Support guest checkout for non-registered users.

1.5. Order Placement

Provide a smooth checkout process with the following steps:

Collect billing and shipping information.
Review the cart summary and total amount before proceeding.
Apply promotional coupons or discounts (optional).

1.6. Payment Integration

Secure payment processing using gateways like Stripe or PayPal.
Accept multiple payment methods, including:

Credit/Debit Cards
Digital Wallets

Provide real-time payment feedback (e.g., success or failure).

1.7. Order History

Allow logged-in users to view past orders with details such as:

Products purchased
Order total
Payment status
Delivery status (pending, shipped, delivered).

1.8. Notifications and Confirmation

Send confirmation emails for successful orders.
Notify users about stock availability or order status updates.

2. Admin Features

2.1. Dashboard

Provide an overview of:

Total sales
Pending and completed orders
Low-stock products

2.2. Product Management

Add, update, and delete products.
Assign products to categories or collections.
Upload product images and manage descriptions.
Update stock levels dynamically.

2.3. Inventory Management

Track inventory levels for all products.
Automatically update stock when a product is purchased.
Receive alerts for low-stock products.

2.4. Order Management

View all customer orders with details such as:

Order ID
Customer information
Ordered products
Payment and delivery status

Update order statuses (e.g., pending, shipped, delivered).
Cancel or modify orders if necessary.

2.5. User Management

View all registered users and their details.
Reset customer passwords or deactivate accounts if needed.
Assign roles (e.g., staff or super admin) for multi-tier management.

2.6. Reporting and Analytics

Generate reports for:

Sales performance
Popular products
Customer trends

3. Functional Highlights

3.1. Secure Authentication

Use Django’s built-in authentication for login/logout.
Implement hashed passwords for user accounts.
Add CAPTCHA or email verification for enhanced security (optional).

3.2. Responsive Design

Ensure the platform is accessible on:

Desktop
Tablets
Mobile devices

3.3. Real-Time Updates

Use AJAX or JavaScript for dynamic cart updates without page reloads.
Notify users of stock changes in real-time.

3.4. Email Notifications

Send transactional emails, such as:

Order confirmations
Password recovery instructions
Shipping updates

3.5. Scalability

Built-in support for additional features like:

Wishlists
Product reviews and ratings
Multi-vendor support

3.6. Payment Security

Use SSL/TLS to encrypt payment data.
Comply with PCI DSS standards for payment processing.

4. Advanced Features for Future Enhancements

Wishlist Functionality: Allow users to save products for future purchases.
Discounts and Promotions: Add support for discount codes and seasonal promotions.
Delivery Tracking: Integrate APIs for real-time delivery status.
Product Reviews: Enable customers to leave feedback and rate products.
Multi-Language Support: Allow users to browse the platform in their preferred language.

Technologies Used in the Online Shopping Cart Project

The Online Shopping Cart project employs a variety of technologies to build a robust, scalable, and user-friendly e-commerce platform. The technologies used are divided into the following categories:

1. Backend Technologies

1.1. Python

The core programming language for this project.
Offers simplicity and extensive libraries for building web applications.
Enables clean and readable code for both logic and algorithms.

1.2. Django Framework

Primary web framework for the backend.
Uses the Model-View-Template (MVT) architectural pattern, making development faster and more organized.
Features include:

Built-in user authentication system.
ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) for database operations.
Security features (e.g., CSRF protection, XSS prevention, SQL injection mitigation).

1.3. Django REST Framework (Optional for API Integration)

Extends Django's capabilities to create APIs for advanced features like:

Mobile app integration.
Third-party service interaction.

1.4. SQLite/PostgreSQL/MySQL

SQLite: Used as the default database during development for simplicity.
PostgreSQL/MySQL: Preferred in production for performance and scalability.
Stores data such as:

Product details
Customer information
Order transactions

2. Frontend Technologies

2.1. HTML

Structures the web pages with semantic elements.
Ensures that content is logically organized and accessible.

2.2. CSS

Styles the application for an appealing and professional look.
Implements responsive design for a seamless user experience on different devices.

2.3. Bootstrap

A popular CSS framework used to build responsive and mobile-first designs quickly.
Includes pre-designed components like:

Navbars
Buttons
Cards for product displays.

2.4. JavaScript

Adds interactivity to the application.
Manages dynamic features like:

Real-time cart updates.
Alerts for stock or payment status.

2.5. jQuery (Optional)

Simplifies DOM manipulation and AJAX calls for asynchronous communication between frontend and backend.

3. Payment Integration Technology

3.1. Payment Gateway APIs

Integrate secure payment gateways such as:

Stripe
PayPal

Features include:

Tokenized payments.
Real-time payment status feedback.

3.2. SSL/TLS

Encrypts communication between the client and server for secure payment processing.

4. Deployment and Hosting

4.1. Web Server

Gunicorn: A Python WSGI HTTP Server for running Django applications in production.
Nginx: Used as a reverse proxy server to manage requests and serve static files efficiently.

4.2. Hosting Platform

Heroku: Ideal for hosting small to medium-scale Django applications.
AWS/Google Cloud/DigitalOcean: Recommended for scalable hosting with advanced infrastructure.

4.3. Containerization (Optional)

Docker: Packages the application into containers for easier deployment and consistent development environments.

5. Version Control and Collaboration

5.1. Git

Tracks changes in the project codebase.
Supports branching and merging for feature development.

5.2. GitHub/GitLab

Hosts the project repository.
Facilitates team collaboration and code reviews.

6. Additional Tools and Libraries

6.1. Django Allauth (Optional)

Adds social login features (e.g., Google, Facebook).

6.2. Celery and Redis (Optional)

Manages asynchronous tasks such as:

Sending order confirmation emails.
Processing large data imports.

6.3. Django Storages

Handles media storage on cloud services (e.g., AWS S3 for product images).

6.4. Cron Jobs (Optional)

Automates repetitive tasks like:

Database backups.
Stock level alerts.

7. Security Technologies

7.1. Django Security Features

CSRF Tokens: Protect against cross-site request forgery.
Password Hashing: Secures user passwords using hashed storage.

7.2. HTTPS

Enforces secure communication between users and the server.

7.3. Django Signals

Tracks and logs critical actions like:

User login/logout.
Payment completion.

8. Scalability and Performance Optimization

8.1. Caching

Redis or Memcached: Speeds up frequently accessed data like product listings.

8.2. Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Delivers static assets (CSS, JS, images) quickly across the globe.
Popular options: Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront.

8.3. Load Balancers

Distributes incoming requests across multiple servers for better performance.

9. Future Expansion Technologies

9.1. API Development

GraphQL: Enables fetching specific data for advanced features.
RESTful APIs: Provides integration with mobile apps or external services.

9.2. Machine Learning (Optional)

Personalizes product recommendations.
Analyzes user behavior for targeted marketing.

ER Diagram of the Online Shopping Cart Project

The Entity-Relationship (ER) Diagram represents the structure and relationships of the entities in the Online Shopping Cart Project. It is essential for database design and forms the backbone of the application.

1. Entities and Attributes

1.1. User

Represents the customers and administrators of the platform.

Attributes:

user_id (Primary Key): Unique identifier for each user.
name: Full name of the user.
email: Email address used for login.
password: Encrypted password for authentication.
role: Specifies if the user is a customer or admin.
created_at: Timestamp for account creation.
updated_at: Timestamp for the last account update.

1.2. Product

Represents the items available for purchase.

Attributes:

product_id (Primary Key): Unique identifier for each product.
name: Name of the product.
description: Detailed description of the product.
price: Price of the product.
stock: Quantity of the product available in inventory.
category_id (Foreign Key): Links the product to its category.
created_at: Timestamp for when the product was added.
updated_at: Timestamp for the last update to the product.

1.3. Category

Represents the categories to which products belong.

Attributes:

category_id (Primary Key): Unique identifier for each category.
name: Name of the category.
description: Brief description of the category.
created_at: Timestamp for when the category was created.
updated_at: Timestamp for the last update to the category.

1.4. Cart

Represents the shopping cart for a user.

Attributes:

cart_id (Primary Key): Unique identifier for each cart.
user_id (Foreign Key): Links the cart to a specific user.
created_at: Timestamp for when the cart was created.
updated_at: Timestamp for the last update to the cart.

1.5. Cart_Item

Represents the products added to a shopping cart.

Attributes:

cart_item_id (Primary Key): Unique identifier for each cart item.
cart_id (Foreign Key): Links the item to a specific cart.
product_id (Foreign Key): Links the item to a specific product.
quantity: Quantity of the product in the cart.
subtotal: Price for the product quantity (price × quantity).

1.6. Order

Represents orders placed by users.

Attributes:

order_id (Primary Key): Unique identifier for each order.
user_id (Foreign Key): Links the order to the user who placed it.
total_price: Total price for all products in the order.
status: Status of the order (e.g., pending, shipped, delivered).
created_at: Timestamp for when the order was placed.
updated_at: Timestamp for the last update to the order.

1.7. Order_Item

Represents the products included in an order.

Attributes:

order_item_id (Primary Key): Unique identifier for each order item.
order_id (Foreign Key): Links the item to a specific order.
product_id (Foreign Key): Links the item to a specific product.
quantity: Quantity of the product in the order.
price: Price of the product at the time of purchase.
subtotal: Price for the product quantity (price × quantity).

1.8. Payment

Represents payment details for an order.

Attributes:

payment_id (Primary Key): Unique identifier for each payment.
order_id (Foreign Key): Links the payment to a specific order.
payment_method: Method used for the payment (e.g., Stripe, PayPal).
status: Status of the payment (e.g., success, failed).
transaction_id: Unique transaction identifier from the payment gateway.
paid_at: Timestamp for when the payment was completed.

2. Relationships

1. User ↔ Cart

o Relationship: One user can have one active cart.

o Type: One-to-One (user_id in the Cart table).

2. Cart ↔ Cart_Item

o Relationship: One cart can have multiple cart items.

o Type: One-to-Many (cart_id in the Cart_Item table).

3. Product ↔ Cart_Item

o Relationship: One product can be added to multiple cart items.

o Type: One-to-Many (product_id in the Cart_Item table).

4. User ↔ Order

o Relationship: One user can place multiple orders.

o Type: One-to-Many (user_id in the Order table).

5. Order ↔ Order_Item

o Relationship: One order can have multiple order items.

o Type: One-to-Many (order_id in the Order_Item table).

6. Product ↔ Order_Item

o Relationship: One product can be part of multiple orders.

o Type: One-to-Many (product_id in the Order_Item table).

7. Order ↔ Payment

o Relationship: One order can have one payment.

o Type: One-to-One (order_id in the Payment table).

8. Product ↔ Category

o Relationship: One category can have multiple products.

o Type: One-to-Many (category_id in the Product table).

3. Diagram Description

The ER Diagram consists of rectangular boxes (entities) connected by lines (relationships). The relationships are labeled to specify the connection type (one-to-one, one-to-many). Each entity contains its attributes, with primary keys underlined and foreign keys marked.

4. Key Points in Database Design

1. Normalization:

o The database design ensures no data redundancy by breaking down data into smaller, related tables.

o Relationships maintain the integrity of the database.

2. Indexes:

o Indexing primary and foreign keys ensures faster queries for frequently accessed data like products and orders.

3. Scalability:

o The design can easily accommodate additional features like wishlists or product reviews without major modifications.

Data Flow Diagram (DFD) for Online Shopping Cart Project

A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) visually represents the flow of data within the system. It shows how data is input, processed, stored, and output, giving a clear picture of the system's functionality. The DFD for this Online Shopping Cart project can be divided into multiple levels, with Level 0 (Context Diagram) being the highest level, and Level 1 and Level 2 providing more detail.

1. Level 0 DFD (Context Diagram)

This level represents the entire system as a single process interacting with external entities. It gives a high-level view of how the system interacts with external users or systems. Here, we only represent the major entities and their interactions with the shopping platform.

Entities:

1. User/Customer: Interacts with the online shopping platform for browsing products, adding them to the cart, and placing orders.

2. Admin: Manages products, categories, and views order details.

3. Payment Gateway: Handles payments for the orders.

Data Stores:

1. Product Database: Stores information about products, categories, and their details.

2. User Database: Stores user details, including customer and admin accounts.

3. Order Database: Stores order details, statuses, and payment information.

DFD Process:

Online Shopping Cart System: The main process that interacts with the external entities and manages the internal flow of data. It receives data from users for order creation and interacts with the payment gateway for processing payments.

Level 0 DFD:

+--------------------------+

| User/Customer |

+--------------------------+

| (Browse Products, Order)

+-------------------------------------------+

| Online Shopping Cart System |

| |

| - Browse products |

| - Add products to cart |

| - Place orders |

| - Process payment |

+-------------------------------------------+

| (Payment, Order Details)

+---------------------+

| Payment Gateway |

+---------------------+

+--------------------------+

| Product Database |

+--------------------------+

| User Database |

+--------------------------+

| Order Database |

+--------------------------+

2. Level 1 DFD (Decomposition of Main System)

In Level 1, the main process (Online Shopping Cart System) is decomposed into more detailed sub-processes. Here, we explore key functions like Product Management, Cart Management, Order Management, and Payment Processing.

Sub-processes in the Online Shopping Cart System:

1. Product Management: Responsible for fetching products from the database and displaying them to the users.

2. Cart Management: Handles adding/removing products to/from the cart and calculating the total price.

3. Order Management: Creates orders, stores them in the order database, and updates their status.

4. Payment Processing: Handles payment transactions via the payment gateway and updates the payment status.

DFD Process:

+-------------------------+

| User/Customer |

+-------------------------+

| (Browse Products)

+--------------------------------------------+

| Product Management |

| - Fetch products from database |

| - Display products to users |

+--------------------------------------------+

+-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------+

| Cart Management | | Order Management |

| - Add/Remove Products | | - Create Order |

| - Calculate Total Price | | - Store Order in Database |

+-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------+

| |

v v

+-----------------------------+ +--------------------------+

| Payment Processing | | Product Database |

| - Process Payment | | - Product Info |

| - Update Payment Status | | - Category Info |

+-----------------------------+ +--------------------------+

+--------------------------+

| User Database |

+--------------------------+

| Order Database |

+--------------------------+

3. Level 2 DFD (Detailed Decomposition of Sub-processes)

At Level 2, the sub-processes from Level 1 are broken down into even more detailed steps, showing the internal workings of each sub-process.

1. Product Management

This process involves fetching and displaying products to users.

Fetch Product Details: Retrieves the list of available products from the database.
Display Products: Displays the products and their details (e.g., name, price, description).

+----------------------------+

| Fetch Product Details |

+----------------------------+

| Display Products |

+----------------------------+

2. Cart Management

This process manages products in the user's cart.

Add Product to Cart: Adds selected products to the cart.
Remove Product from Cart: Removes products from the cart.
Calculate Total Price: Computes the total price of products in the cart, including any taxes and discounts.

+----------------------------+

| Add Product to Cart |

+----------------------------+

| Remove Product from Cart |

+----------------------------+

| Calculate Total Price |

+----------------------------+

3. Order Management

This process handles order creation and updates.

Create Order: The system generates an order once the user proceeds to checkout.
Store Order in Database: Saves the order details into the order database.
Update Order Status: Updates the status of the order (e.g., "Pending", "Shipped").

+----------------------------+

| Create Order |

+----------------------------+

| Store Order in Database |

+----------------------------+

| Update Order Status |

+----------------------------+

4. Payment Processing

This process deals with handling payments.

Process Payment: Sends the payment request to the payment gateway.
Update Payment Status: Updates the payment status based on the response from the payment gateway (e.g., "Success", "Failed").

+----------------------------+

| Process Payment |

+----------------------------+

| Update Payment Status |

+----------------------------+

Summary of DFD:

1. Level 0 (Context Diagram): The system is represented as a single process interacting with external entities: the user, admin, and payment gateway. It shows a high-level flow of data.

2. Level 1 (Decomposition): The Online Shopping Cart System is broken down into sub-processes such as Product Management, Cart Management, Order Management, and Payment Processing. It also shows data flows between the user, system, and databases.

3. Level 2 (Detailed Decomposition): Further details on each sub-process are provided, showing specific tasks like adding/removing products, calculating prices, and processing payments.

This DFD offers a comprehensive view of how data flows within the system, starting from the user interactions all the way to the processing and storage of orders and payments.

Project Structure for Online Shopping Cart with Django

Below is the full project structure for the Online Shopping Cart project using Django, including all necessary files and directories for both the frontend (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and backend (Django models, views, URLs, templates).

online_shopping_cart_project/

│

├── online_shopping_cart/ # Main Django project directory

│ ├── __init__.py # Initializes the Django app

│ ├── settings.py # Configuration for the Django project

│ ├── urls.py # Main URL routing for the project

│ ├── asgi.py # ASGI application configuration

│ ├── wsgi.py # WSGI application configuration

│ └── manage.py # Django management script

│

├── cart/ # Django app for shopping cart functionality

│ ├── __init__.py

│ ├── admin.py # Admin interface for cart app

│ ├── apps.py # Configuration for the cart app

│ ├── migrations/ # Database migration files

│ ├── models.py # Database models (Product, Cart, Order, etc.)

│ ├── views.py # Views for cart-related actions (add to cart, checkout)

│ ├── urls.py # URLs for cart app (URL routing for cart)

│ ├── templates/ # HTML templates for the cart app

│ │ └── cart/

│ │ ├── cart_detail.html # Cart detail page

│ │ ├── checkout.html # Checkout page

│ │ ├── product_list.html # Product listing page

│ │ └── order_confirmation.html # Order confirmation page

│ ├── static/ # Static files (CSS, JS)

│ │ ├── css/

│ │ │ └── styles.css # Main CSS file

│ │ └── js/

│ │ └── cart.js # JavaScript for cart functionality (add/remove items)

│ └── __init__.py

│

├── products/ # Django app for product management

│ ├── __init__.py

│ ├── admin.py # Admin interface for managing products

│ ├── apps.py # Configuration for the products app

│ ├── migrations/ # Database migrations for products

│ ├── models.py # Database models for products (e.g., Product, Category)

│ ├── views.py # Views for displaying products, handling product search

│ ├── urls.py # URL routing for the products app

│ ├── templates/ # HTML templates for products

│ │ └── products/

│ │ ├── product_detail.html # Product detail page

│ │ └── product_list.html # Product listing page

│ └── __init__.py

│

├── users/ # Django app for user management (customer, admin)

│ ├── __init__.py

│ ├── admin.py # Admin interface for managing users

│ ├── apps.py # Configuration for the users app

│ ├── migrations/ # Database migration files

│ ├── models.py # User model (extends Django User model)

│ ├── views.py # Views for registration, login, and user profile

│ ├── urls.py # URL routing for user-related pages (login, register)

│ ├── templates/ # HTML templates for user-related functionality

│ │ └── users/

│ │ ├── login.html # Login page

│ │ ├── register.html # Registration page

│ │ └── profile.html # User profile page

│ └── __init__.py

│

├── orders/ # Django app for handling orders

│ ├── __init__.py

│ ├── admin.py # Admin interface for managing orders

│ ├── apps.py # Configuration for the orders app

│ ├── migrations/ # Database migration files for orders

│ ├── models.py # Order models (Order, OrderItem, Payment)

│ ├── views.py # Views for handling order checkout, order history

│ ├── urls.py # URL routing for order-related actions

│ ├── templates/ # HTML templates for orders

│ │ └── orders/

│ │ ├── order_history.html # User's order history page

│ │ ├── checkout.html # Checkout page

│ │ └── order_confirmation.html # Order confirmation page

│ └── __init__.py

│

├── static/ # Static files for the entire project (CSS, JS)

│ ├── images/

│ │ └── logo.png # Logo image

│ └── css/

│ └── main.css # Global CSS

│

├── media/ # Directory for uploaded files (e.g., product images)

│ └── products/

│ └── product_image.jpg # Example product image

│

└── templates/ # Global templates for the entire project

└── base.html # Base template for the entire site (header, footer)

Explanation of the Project Structure:

1. online_shopping_cart/:

o This is the root directory of the Django project containing the settings.py, urls.py, and other project-level files. It also contains configuration files for managing the Django project.

2. cart/:

o This app handles the core functionality of the shopping cart, including adding/removing products, managing the cart, and checking out. It includes views for the cart detail, checkout, and product list.

3. products/:

o The products app manages the products and categories. It allows admins to add/edit/remove products, and customers can browse and search for products on the frontend.

4. users/:

o This app handles user authentication, registration, and profile management. It also includes views for login, logout, and user registration.

5. orders/:

o This app handles the creation of orders, the payment process, and viewing order history. It manages the order process from checkout to confirmation and updates the order status.

6. static/:

o Contains all static files (CSS, JavaScript, images) for the frontend part of the website. Static files are served to users without dynamic processing.

7. media/:

o This directory stores user-uploaded files, such as product images, which can be served dynamically.

8. templates/:

o Contains global templates like base.html, which is extended by other templates for common layout elements like the header, footer, etc.

Key Points:

Django Model-View-Template (MVT) Architecture: Each app (cart, products, users, orders) follows the MVT pattern, where models define the data structure, views handle user interactions, and templates provide the HTML structure.
Static and Media Files: Static files (CSS, JS) are for styling and functionality, whereas media files are for user-uploaded content like product images.
Database Migrations: Each app has its own migration files to handle database schema changes when models are updated.
Admin Interface: Django provides a built-in admin interface for managing products, users, and orders, accessible via the admin.py file.

This project structure provides clear separation of concerns, making it modular and easy to manage. It also ensures that the code remains scalable as new features are added, such as user reviews, promotions, or advanced search functionalities.

How to setup the project: Click here

Code In Detail:Click Here

Know The details about the tables used here with table create code : Click Here

"How to Build an Online Shopping Cart in Python(Django) and MySQL: A Step-by-Step Guide"

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"How to Build an Online Shopping Cart in Python(Django) and MySQL: A Step-by-Step Guide"

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