# Code example for production(?) - Serving static files during develpoment **URL:** \ **Category:** Deployment\ **Created:** [February 23, 2022, 8:33am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/code-example-for-production-serving-static-files-during-develpoment/12308 "2022-02-23T08:33:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sammeeey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/sammeeey/32/7340_2.png) [@Sammeeey](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/Sammeeey)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2022, 8:33am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/code-example-for-production-serving-static-files-during-develpoment/12308/1 "2022-02-23T08:33:31Z")
I am currently on the way to deploy my first Django app. Studying the docs I’ve found [_How to manage static files_](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.0/howto/static-files/). Within that how-to there is the section [_Serving static files during development_](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.0/howto/static-files/#serving-static-files-during-development). **I wonder whether the code example within that section is meant for development (as expected from the heading) or rather meant for production (as expected from the description within that section)?** After describing how it works with the default configuration, they say that the default configurations are not suitable for use in production. But then there follows a code example, which looks similar to other resources where people prepare production environments: ```python from django.conf import settings from django.conf.urls.static import static urlpatterns = [ # ... the rest of your URLconf goes here ... ] + static(settings.STATIC_URL, document_root=settings.STATIC_ROOT) ``` I am a bit confused, because static files normally work by default anyway. Therefore: Why would that code example describe code for use in the development environment? ---
**Author:** ![KenWhitesell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/kenwhitesell/32/280_2.png) [@KenWhitesell](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/KenWhitesell)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/code-example-for-production-serving-static-files-during-develpoment/12308/2 "2022-02-23T13:10:46Z")
What makes you think the description is meant for production? There’s a different section for deployment further down, but that’s a different paragraph than the one you’re referencing here. Also, read the text above that example _carefully_. It explains the situation where that setting is necessary in _a development environment_ and goes on to explain: > This is not suitable for production use! For some common deployment strategies, see [How to deploy static files](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.0/howto/static-files/deployment/). One of the key concepts with what I refer to as a “production quality” Django deployment is that Django _never_ serves static files. That functionality is **always** performed elsewhere - apache, nginx, haproxy, AWS S3, CDN, take your pick. But in production, you’re really better off off-loading that process to something other than your Django application. ---
**Author:** ![Sammeeey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/sammeeey/32/7340_2.png) [@Sammeeey](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/Sammeeey)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2022, 6:52am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/code-example-for-production-serving-static-files-during-develpoment/12308/3 "2022-02-26T06:52:12Z")
> [@KenWhitesell](#): > > What makes you think the description is meant for production? That’s what makes me wonder: > [@Sammeeey](#): > > I am a bit confused, because static files normally work by default anyway. > Therefore: Why would that code example describe code for use in the development environment? But I rather thought that this part is really meant for development - as you say. ---
**Author:** ![KenWhitesell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/kenwhitesell/32/280_2.png) [@KenWhitesell](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/KenWhitesell)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/code-example-for-production-serving-static-files-during-develpoment/12308/4 "2022-02-26T13:04:57Z")
> [@Sammeeey](#): > > I am a bit confused, because static files normally work by default anyway. They don’t “work by default”. They work because of an installed app - [staticfiles](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.0/ref/contrib/staticfiles/#module-django.contrib.staticfiles). From the docs you referenced: > If you don’t have `django.contrib.staticfiles` in [`INSTALLED_APPS`](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.0/ref/settings/#std:setting-INSTALLED_APPS), you can still manually serve static files using the [`django.views.static.serve()`](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.0/ref/views/#django.views.static.serve) view. That code example goes on to demonstrate how, _in development_, you can serve static files _without_ the staticfiles app installed. ---
**Author:** ![Sammeeey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/sammeeey/32/7340_2.png) [@Sammeeey](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/Sammeeey)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 11:46am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/code-example-for-production-serving-static-files-during-develpoment/12308/5 "2022-02-27T11:46:00Z")
Thank you again. I didn’t completely realize that this behavior depends on the staticfiles app👍