Google App Engine Helper for Django

The key to making your experience with App Engine a bit more like “real” Django development is the Google App Engine Helper for Django. This is an open-source Google-sponsored project (with Python creator Guido van Rossum being listed as one of its contributors) that aims to make App Engine a more comfortable environment for those with Django experience. It even enables you to swap in a more current version of Django instead of the one that App Engine ships with.

Getting the SDK and the Helper

Before we go any further, we need to get the necessary software. You can download the Google App Engine SDK for your platform at http://code.google.com/p/googleappengine/, the SDK Project home page. An .msi file is available for Windows users along with a .dmg file for OS X. For everyone else, just download the general source ZIP file. Similarly, the helper is available for download at http://code.google.com/p/google-app-engine-django/.