[FIXED] How to serve static files with Waitress and Django?

Issue

I've a tiny web app built on Django that has some static files collected by python manage.py collectstatic. I'm using a lightweight server, Waitress

When I run my server using the script

from waitress import serve

from <my app>.wsgi import application

if __name__ == '__main__':
    serve(application, host = '0.0.0.0', port='8000')

the app loads up to http:localhost:8000 but I notice the static files are not present. From the terminal, I can read

Not Found: /static/<my app>/styles.min.css
WARNING:django.request:Not Found: /static/<my app>/styles.min.css
Not Found: /static/<my app>/buttonhover.css
WARNING:django.request:Not Found: /static/<my app>/buttonhover.css
Not Found: /static/<my app>/script.min.js

Do I need something in addition to Waitress to serve the static files? Do I need a reverse proxy like nginx running alongside Waitress? If so, are there Python reverse proxies available?

Solution

I found a solution using the White Noise library.

Do I need something in addition to Waitress to serve the static files?

Yes. Kinda. You do need something to help Django find the static files, or upload them to a container online like AWS S3.

Do I need a reverse proxy like nginx running alongside Waitress?

No. White Noise is a simple add on to a Django project which in my opinion pairs it well with Waitress since they're self-contained Python projects.

Answered By - Jon

Answer Checked By - Marilyn (PHPFixing Volunteer)