Django Custom User Model for any new project

admin.py

# users/admin.py
from django.contrib import admin
from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
from django.contrib.auth.admin import UserAdmin

from .forms import CustomUserCreationForm, CustomUserChangeForm
from .models import CustomUser

class CustomUserAdmin(UserAdmin):
    add_form = CustomUserCreationForm
    form = CustomUserChangeForm
    model = CustomUser
    list_display = ['email', 'username',]

admin.site.register(CustomUser, CustomUserAdmin)

forms.py

# users/forms.py
from django import forms
from django.contrib.auth.forms import UserCreationForm, UserChangeForm
from .models import CustomUser

class CustomUserCreationForm(UserCreationForm):

    class Meta(UserCreationForm):
        model = CustomUser
        fields = ('username', 'email')

class CustomUserChangeForm(UserChangeForm):

    class Meta:
        model = CustomUser
        fields = ('username', 'email')

models.py

# users/models.py
from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractUser
from django.db import models

class CustomUser(AbstractUser):
    # add additional fields in here

notes.txt

1. Start a new Django project: `django-admin startproject new_project .`
2. Create a `users` app: `python manage.py startapp users`
3. Update `new_project/settings.py`, `users/models.py`, `users/forms.py`, `users/admin.py`
4. `python manage.py makemigrations users`
5. `python manage.py migrate`

settings.py

# new_project/settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',

    # Local
    'users.apps.UsersConfig', # new
]
...
AUTH_USER_MODEL = 'users.CustomUser' # new

Would this work with an existing project and app?

No. You need to take separate steps if you have existing data in a project. Something like this: https://www.caktusgroup.com/blog/2019/04/26/how-switch-custom-django-user-model-mid-project/

Nice, Can you please make an article related to custom user management:-

1. create page for user listings with user id, user name, firstname, lastname, email, mobile number, status(active,Inactive), user type(admin, employee), job type(job1, job2, job3), add pagination, filters and search functionality
2. Create form for Add user :- username, firstname, lastname, email, mobile number, status, type and job role
3. Edit user
4. Delete user
   Send random password to email of user after create any user.
   Each user can able to login on same panel with there provided credential.
   Use JWT token instead of session

with templates and users app in navbar

After spending 4 hours I finally made it work. If you follow the Vincent's instructions and you admin page throws error please check your Python version. There was a bug with Python 3.7.0 where /admin/login get stuck in the look referring back to itself. https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/31067

One thing that really hung me up was why my custom fields like 'photo' or 'relationship' wasn't showing in admin. After some searching I found something like the below to resolve the issue.
sources: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15012235/using-django-auth-useradmin-for-a-custom-user-model, https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1437991/django-admin-fieldsets/1485005

class CustomUserAdmin(UserAdmin): add_form = CustomUserCreationForm form = CustomUserChangeForm model = CustomUser list_display = ["username", "email", "photo"] # Fieldsets fieldsets = UserAdmin.fieldsets + ( ("Profile Image", { "fields": ("photo",) }), ("Relationships", { "fields": ("relationship",) }), ) add_fieldsets = ( (None, {"classes": ("wide",), "fields": ("username", "email", "photo")}), ) admin.site.register(CustomUser, CustomUserAdmin)