Getting django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: Error loading MySQLdb module, while trying to perform the first migration

Question

I am setting up a Django backend for my application. I am trying to change the default sqlite database to mysql. While performing the first migration, I get the following error:

Traceback (most recent call last): File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py", line 15, in import MySQLdb as Database File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/MySQLdb/init.py", line 18, in import _mysql ImportError: dlopen(/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/_mysql.cpython-36m-darwin.so, 2): Library not loaded: @rpath/libmysqlclient.21.dylib Referenced from: /Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/_mysql.cpython-36m-darwin.so Reason: image not found

The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:

Traceback (most recent call last): File "manage.py", line 15, in execute_from_command_line(sys.argv) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/core/management/init.py", line 381, in execute_from_command_line utility.execute() File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/core/management/init.py", line 357, in execute django.setup() File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/init.py", line 24, in setup apps.populate(settings.INSTALLED_APPS) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/apps/registry.py", line 112, in populate app_config.import_models() File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/apps/config.py", line 198, in import_models self.models_module = import_module(models_module_name) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/importlib/init.py", line 126, in import_module return _bootstrap._gcd_import(name[level:], package, level) File "", line 994, in _gcd_import File "", line 971, in _find_and_load File "", line 955, in _find_and_load_unlocked File "", line 665, in _load_unlocked
File "", line 678, in exec_module File "", line 219, in _call_with_frames_removed File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/contrib/auth/models.py", line 2, in from django.contrib.auth.base_user import AbstractBaseUser, BaseUserManager File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/contrib/auth/base_user.py", line 47, in class AbstractBaseUser(models.Model): File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/db/models/base.py", line 101, in new new_class.add_to_class('_meta', Options(meta, app_label)) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/db/models/base.py", line 305, in add_to_class value.contribute_to_class(cls, name) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/db/models/options.py", line 203, in contribute_to_class self.db_table = truncate_name(self.db_table, connection.ops.max_name_length()) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/db/init.py", line 33, in getattr return getattr(connections[DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS], item) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/db/utils.py", line 202, in getitem backend = load_backend(db['ENGINE']) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/db/utils.py", line 110, in load_backend return import_module('%s.base' % backend_name) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/importlib/init.py", line 126, in import_module return _bootstrap._gcd_import(name[level:], package, level) File "/Users/user1/djangoApp/djangoProject/env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py", line 20, in ) from err django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: Error loading MySQLdb module.

OS:macOS Mojave
Framework: Django
I am using a virtualenv

I have already installed "mysqlclient" using the command

pip3 install mysqlclient

I have verified that the mysqlclient folder exists under the installed location.

I have the mysql server up and running.

I have tried many available solutions online but nothing works

To reproduce:

1 - Start a django project using

"django-admin startproject djangoApp"

2 - Install and start the mysql server.

3 - Update the settings.py file of the entry application to the following

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.mysql',
        'NAME': 'djangoApp',
        'USER': 'root',
        'PASSWORD': 'password',
        'HOST': 'localhost',
        'PORT': ''
    }
}

4 - Now try to migrate using

python manage.py migrate

Expected:The migration should be successful

Actual:Migration fails with the given error

I am new to Django

P.S. djangoApp is name of my django project as well as my database — Ashm Walia
The traceback is showing that you did not install Django in a virtualenv. Where is the virtualenv, how did you activate it, and was it activated when you installed both Django and mysqlclient? — Daniel Roseman
@DanielRoseman Thank you for pointing that out. I posted the incorrect traceback. I activated it using the command "source env/bin/activate "I get the same traceback when I run the command in my virtualenv. — Ashm Walia

Ashm Walia Ashm Walia · Accepted Answer · 2018-12-21T21:18:30

I needed to symlink the lib files to the /usr/local/lib directory.

Fourth answer in the link worked for me

Thank you @Mohit Harshan @Daniel Rosema for taking time out to help me

Getting django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: Error loading MySQLdb module, while trying to perform the first migration

1 Answers