# How to deploy a Python application

> Deploy a Python application on Kualo hosting using cPanel's Python Selector and Phusion Passenger, with a full Wagtail CMS example.

Source: https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/dev-languages/how-to-deploy-a-python-application
Updated: 2026-06-09

---

This guide walks you through deploying a Python application on Kualo hosting using cPanel's Python Selector. We use Wagtail CMS as a practical example, but the same approach applies to any Python web application.

:::info
Before you begin, make sure you have enabled Python in cPanel. See the separate article "Enabling Python in cPanel" for instructions.
:::

## How the Python Selector works

The Python Selector configures everything you need to run a Python application under Phusion Passenger. Specifically, it:

- Adds the required Passenger directives to your `.htaccess` file
- Installs and configures Python inside a virtual environment

When you create an application, the Selector generates three default directories inside your chosen application root: `tmp`, `public`, and `logs`. Files that need to be publicly accessible must go inside the `public` folder.

## Setting up the application in Python Selector

1. Log in to cPanel and open the Python Selector.
2. Add your application, setting the application root to the path you want - for example, `/home/pythontest/myapps/wagtail`.
3. Choose your Python version.
4. Click **Setup**.

The Selector creates the directory structure and displays the command you need to activate the virtual environment over SSH.

![Python Selector showing application base folder](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/2c/b0/2cb000eaa28efe4ca25e447437bf0ebf62af1745.png)

![Python Selector showing the activate command](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/71/3b/713b8e9eed9628c0e8172230bb0e09fa7269b913.png)

## Installing and configuring Wagtail

The rest of the setup happens over SSH. You will:

- Activate the virtual environment
- Install the Wagtail module via pip
- Create a new Wagtail project
- Run database migrations
- Create a superuser
- Configure `passenger_wsgi.py`

### Step 1 - activate the virtual environment

SSH into your account and run the activation command shown by the Python Selector. It will look similar to this:

```bash
source /home/pythontest/virtualenv/myapps_wagtail/3.6/bin/activate
```

Your prompt will change to show the active environment:

```bash
(myapps/wagtail:3.6)pythontest@ ~ $
```

### Step 2 - install Wagtail using pip

pip is the standard Python package manager and the recommended way to install modules:

```bash
pip install wagtail
```

### Step 3 - create a new Wagtail project

Wagtail provides a `wagtail start` command (similar to Django's `django-admin startproject`) that scaffolds a new project. Navigate to your `public` folder and run it:

```bash
cd ~/myapps/wagtail/public
wagtail start mywag
```

You can replace `mywag` with any project name you like.

Once created, change into the project directory:

```bash
cd mywag
```

You will see several items worth noting:

- `manage.py` - a command-line tool for running administrative tasks, commonly provided by Django-based applications.
- `requirements.txt` - lists all Python modules the application depends on. You can install them all at once with `pip install -r requirements.txt`.
- `mywag/` - the application package folder. This is the directory you will need to reference in `passenger_wsgi.py`.

### Step 4 - configure the database

Wagtail uses SQLite3 by default, but also supports MySQL and PostgreSQL. To change the database backend, edit `mywag/settings/base.py`. The relevant section looks like this:

```python
DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
        'NAME': os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'db.sqlite3'),
    }
}
```

For this example we will keep SQLite3. Run the migrations to set up the database:

```bash
python manage.py migrate
```

:::tip
If you want to use MySQL or PostgreSQL instead, refer to the Django database settings documentation at https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/settings/#databases
:::

### Step 5 - create a superuser

```bash
python manage.py createsuperuser
```

Follow the prompts to set a username, email address, and password:

```
Username (leave blank to use 'pythontest'): kualo
Email address: you@example.com
Password:
Password (again):
Superuser created successfully.
```

## Configuring passenger_wsgi.py

Phusion Passenger uses `passenger_wsgi.py` as the entry point for your application - the equivalent of `index.php` for PHP sites. The Python Selector creates this file automatically in your application root.

Wagtail includes its own `wsgi.py` file, which you can use as the basis for `passenger_wsgi.py`. You need to make two small changes so Passenger can find your project:

1. Add `sys` to the import line at the top of the file:

```python
import os, sys
```

2. Immediately below the imports, add your project directory to the Python path:

```python
sys.path.append("/home/pythontest/myapps/wagtail/public/mywag")
```

Replace that path with the actual path to your own project folder.

Once saved, visit your domain with `/admin` appended to the URL and log in with the superuser credentials you created earlier.

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_Source: Kualo Knowledgebase — https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/dev-languages/how-to-deploy-a-python-application · © Kualo Ltd._