Practical examples of Django authentication examples for beginners

Let’s start where most beginners do: a simple login and logout flow. These are often the best examples to learn from because you can see results in minutes.

In a fresh Django project, make sure django.contrib.auth and django.contrib.contenttypes are in your INSTALLED_APPS (they usually are by default). Then add this to your main urls.py:

## project/urls.py
from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
    path("admin/", admin.site.urls),
    path("accounts/", include("django.contrib.auth.urls")),
]

That single include("django.contrib.auth.urls") gives you working URLs for:

• /accounts/login/
• /accounts/logout/
• /accounts/password_change/ and more

Django ships with templates for these, but in a real project you’ll usually override them. Create a registration/login.html file inside your templates directory:

<!-- templates/registration/login.html -->
{% extends "base.html" %}

{% block content %}
  <h2>Log in</h2>
  <form method="post">
    {% csrf_token %}
    {{ form.as_p }}
    <button type="submit">Log in</button>
  </form>
{% endblock %}

This tiny snippet is one of the simplest examples of Django authentication examples for beginners: no custom view, just Django’s built‑in LoginView plus a template.

To log users out, you can either use the built‑in /accounts/logout/ URL with a template at registration/logged_out.html, or create a logout button:

<form action="{% url 'logout' %}" method="post">
  {% csrf_token %}
  <button type="submit">Log out</button>
</form>

Behind the scenes, Django’s auth system manages the session, cookies, and user object for you. As examples go, this is about as friendly as it gets for a first example of authentication.

Sign‑up form: a classic example of Django authentication examples for beginners

Login is nice, but users need a way to create accounts. Here’s a simple, realistic sign‑up view that many developers consider one of the best examples to study early on.

In an app (say accounts), create views.py:

## accounts/views.py
from django.contrib.auth.forms import UserCreationForm
from django.shortcuts import render, redirect
from django.contrib.auth import login


def signup_view(request):
    if request.method == "POST":
        form = UserCreationForm(request.POST)
        if form.is_valid():
            user = form.save()
            login(request, user)  # Log the user in right after signup
            return redirect("dashboard")
    else:
        form = UserCreationForm()

    return render(request, "accounts/signup.html", {"form": form})

Then wire it up in accounts/urls.py:

## accounts/urls.py
from django.urls import path
from .views import signup_view

urlpatterns = [
    path("signup/", signup_view, name="signup"),
]

And add the include in your project URLs:

## project/urls.py
urlpatterns = [
    path("admin/", admin.site.urls),
    path("accounts/", include("django.contrib.auth.urls")),
    path("accounts/", include("accounts.urls")),
]

Finally, a basic template:

<!-- templates/accounts/signup.html -->
{% extends "base.html" %}

{% block content %}
  <h2>Sign up</h2>
  <form method="post">
    {% csrf_token %}
    {{ form.as_p }}
    <button type="submit">Create account</button>
  </form>
{% endblock %}

This example of a signup flow uses Django’s UserCreationForm, which already handles password validation and hashing. For beginners, this is one of the best examples of Django authentication examples for beginners because it’s safe by default and easy to customize later.

Protecting views with login_required: small but powerful examples include decorators

Once users can log in, you’ll want to hide certain pages from anonymous visitors. The login_required decorator is a simple example of Django authentication that you’ll use constantly.

## accounts/views.py
from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
from django.shortcuts import render


@login_required
def dashboard_view(request):
    return render(request, "accounts/dashboard.html")

In your settings, you can control where Django sends users who are not logged in:

## settings.py
LOGIN_URL = "login"           # name of the login URL pattern
LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL = "dashboard"  # where to go after login
LOGOUT_REDIRECT_URL = "login"     # where to go after logout

This is another example of how Django tries to keep authentication simple. You add one decorator, and suddenly your view is protected. For many people, this is the moment when the system “clicks,” because it combines routing, sessions, and templates into one clear flow.

If you prefer class‑based views, the mixin version looks like this:

from django.contrib.auth.mixins import LoginRequiredMixin
from django.views.generic import TemplateView


class DashboardView(LoginRequiredMixin, TemplateView):
    template_name = "accounts/dashboard.html"
    login_url = "login"  # optional override

These two patterns are real examples you will see in almost every Django project in 2024 and beyond.

Password reset by email: a slightly advanced example of Django authentication

In real projects, users forget passwords. A practical example of Django authentication for beginners is wiring up password reset emails using the built‑in views.

First, in urls.py, Django’s auth URLs already include:

• /accounts/password_reset/
• /accounts/password_reset/done/
• /accounts/reset/<uidb64>/<token>/
• /accounts/reset/done/

You just need templates under registration/:

<!-- templates/registration/password_reset_form.html -->
{% extends "base.html" %}
{% block content %}
  <h2>Reset your password</h2>
  <form method="post">
    {% csrf_token %}
    {{ form.as_p }}
    <button type="submit">Send reset link</button>
  </form>
{% endblock %}

And an email template:

<!-- templates/registration/password_reset_email.html -->
You requested a password reset.

Click the link below to choose a new password:

{{ protocol }}://{{ domain }}{% url 'password_reset_confirm' uidb64=uid token=token %}

If you didn’t request this, you can ignore this email.

For local development in 2024, it’s common to send emails to the console so you don’t need a real email server yet:

## settings.py
EMAIL_BACKEND = "django.core.mail.backends.console.EmailBackend"
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = "no-reply@example.com"

This example of a password reset flow shows how Django’s authentication system handles tokens, security, and forms for you. As your app grows, you can plug in a real email provider without rewriting the logic.

For production, you might later switch to a real backend and follow security guidelines from sources like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which publishes recommendations around authentication and password policies.

Customizing the user model: modern examples of Django authentication (2024‑2025)

In 2024 and 2025, many tutorials now recommend deciding on a custom user model at the start of a project. This doesn’t mean you need something fancy; even a small change, like using email as the login field, is enough.

Here’s a beginner‑friendly example of a custom user model that still fits into our theme of examples of Django authentication examples for beginners. In an app called users, create models.py:

## users/models.py
from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractUser
from django.db import models


class User(AbstractUser):
#    # Add extra fields if you want
    bio = models.TextField(blank=True)

Then, in settings.py:

AUTH_USER_MODEL = "users.User"

You must set this before running migrate for the first time. After that, Django’s authentication views (login, logout, password reset) will automatically use your custom user model. The examples include everything we saw earlier: UserCreationForm, login_required, and password reset still work, though you may eventually create custom forms.

The big lesson for beginners: you can keep the same examples of Django authentication you’ve learned, even when you introduce a custom user model.

A few more real examples: remember‑me, next parameter, and restricting by permission

Once you’ve nailed the basic examples, here are a few small, real examples that make your app feel more polished.

“Remember me” style login

Django’s session framework uses SESSION_COOKIE_AGE to control how long users stay logged in:

## settings.py
from datetime import timedelta

SESSION_COOKIE_AGE = int(timedelta(days=7).total_seconds())  # 7 days
SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE = False

For a simple “remember me” behavior, you can add a checkbox in your login form and, in a custom login view, adjust the session expiry only if the user checks it. This is another example of Django authentication that’s small but very practical.

Using the next parameter after login

Django automatically adds a next query parameter when redirecting to login. In your login template:

<input type="hidden" name="next" value="{{ next }}">

This keeps users on the page they originally wanted, which is a very real example of improving user experience without complex code.

Restricting by permission or group

For slightly more advanced projects, you might want only staff or admins to access a view:

from django.contrib.auth.decorators import permission_required


@permission_required("auth.view_user")
def manage_users(request):
    ...

Or use the UserPassesTestMixin for class‑based views. These patterns are not just theoretical; they’re real examples you’ll see in production codebases.

If you’re curious about how authentication fits into broader security practices, universities like Harvard and government sites such as NIST often publish guidance on secure system design that aligns well with Django’s philosophy.

Best examples of Django authentication examples for beginners to practice

If you want a small practice roadmap, here are a few realistic mini‑projects you can build using the examples of Django authentication examples for beginners we’ve covered:

• A personal notes app where only logged‑in users can see and edit their own notes. Use login_required and a simple Note model tied to request.user.
• A study tracker where students sign up, log in, and record their daily study time. Add a dashboard view that’s protected by LoginRequiredMixin.
• A small blog where authors must log in to create posts, but anyone can read them. Combine public views with protected create/edit views.
• A habit‑tracking app with password reset enabled, so users can recover access without you manually resetting passwords.

Each of these is an example of how the same small set of authentication tools—login, logout, signup, protected views, password reset—can power very different apps.

For general guidance on user‑centric design and behavior (which pairs nicely with authentication work), resources like WebMD and Mayo Clinic are good examples of sites that take user trust and account security seriously, even though they’re focused on health rather than code.

FAQ: common questions about examples of Django authentication

Q: What are some simple examples of Django authentication examples for beginners I can try in one evening?
You can set up a basic login/logout flow using django.contrib.auth.urls, add a signup page with UserCreationForm, and protect a single dashboard view with login_required. Those three pieces give you a working mini‑site where users can create accounts, log in, and see a private page.

Q: Can you give an example of customizing Django’s login behavior?
Yes. A common example of customization is redirecting users to different pages based on their role. In a custom login view, after calling login(request, user), you can check user.is_staff or group membership and redirect to different dashboards.

Q: Do these examples include social logins like Google or GitHub?
Not directly. The examples here focus on Django’s built‑in authentication. In 2024‑2025, many projects add social logins using third‑party packages like django-allauth. The patterns you’ve learned here—login views, redirects, and protected views—still apply; social providers simply become another way to authenticate a user.

Q: Are these examples of Django authentication safe for production?
They use Django’s built‑in, well‑tested tools, which are designed with security in mind. For production, you’ll also want to use HTTPS, secure cookies, strong password settings, and a real email backend. For more background on security best practices, the guidelines from organizations like NIST are worth reading.

Q: How can I learn more after trying these beginner examples?
Once you’re comfortable with these examples of Django authentication examples for beginners, explore custom user models, permissions, and third‑party authentication packages. Reading the official Django authentication docs and studying open‑source Django projects on GitHub will help you see how these patterns are used in the wild.