Steps to Create a Custom User Model in Django

Have you ever wondered why most Python developers prefer Django over other frameworks?

One of the key reasons is that Django offers an easy and flexible way to change or extend the functionality of the default user model to meet complex project requirements. 

The default Django User model comes with predefined fields such as username, email, and password, which work well for many web applications. 

But what do you do if you need to add extra fields to store additional user information, such as phone numbers, user roles, or profile images? This is where the role of the custom user model comes in.

Before turning to the steps for creating a Django custom user model, let’s understand two base classes of Django for extending the default User model: AbstractBaseUser and AbstractUser.

AbstractBaseUser

The most flexible option provides only the core authentication features, meaning you must clearly define fields like email, username, is_staff, and is_active.

When to Use AbstractBaseUser?

• When you want full control over the user model.
• When you want to remove the username field and use email-based authentication.
• When your application has custom authentication needs (e.g., log in with a phone number).

AbstractUser

This is a pre-built user model that extends Django’s default User model while allowing customization. It includes all the fields from Django’s default User model (username, email, first_name, last_name, etc.), so you don’t have to define them manually. 

When to Use AbstractUser?

• When you want to keep Django’s built-in authentication system.
• When you only need minor modifications, such as adding extra fields like phone_number or profile_picture.
• When you want to avoid the extra complexity of AbstractBaseUser.

Now, let’s dive into the steps for creating a custom user model in Django.

Step 1: Create a New Django App (if not already created)

If you don’t already have an app, create one:

python manage.py startapp accounts

Then, add “accounts” to INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py.

Step 2: Choose Between AbstractUser and AbstractBaseUser

• Use AbstractUser if you need minor modifications (e.g., adding fields).
• Use AbstractBaseUser if you need complete customization (e.g., email-based authentication).

Step 3: Create the Custom User Model

Option 1: Extending AbstractUser (Easier Approach)

This keeps the existing Django user model but allows adding custom fields.

from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractUser

from django.db import models

class CustomUser(AbstractUser):

    phone_number = models.CharField(max_length=15, unique=True, blank=True, null=True)

    def __str__(self):

        return self.username  # or return self.email if using email-based login

Option 2: Extending AbstractBaseUser (Advanced Approach)

This requires defining authentication behavior manually.

from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractBaseUser, BaseUserManager, PermissionsMixin

from django.db import models

class CustomUserManager(BaseUserManager):

    def create_user(self, email, password=None, **extra_fields):

        if not email:

            raise ValueError(“Email is required”)

        email = self.normalize_email(email)

        user = self.model(email=email, **extra_fields)

        user.set_password(password)

        user.save(using=self._db)

        return user

    def create_superuser(self, email, password=None, **extra_fields):

        extra_fields.setdefault(‘is_staff’, True)

        extra_fields.setdefault(‘is_superuser’, True)

        return self.create_user(email, password, **extra_fields)

class CustomUser(AbstractBaseUser, PermissionsMixin):

    email = models.EmailField(unique=True)

    first_name = models.CharField(max_length=30)

    last_name = models.CharField(max_length=30)

    is_active = models.BooleanField(default=True)

    is_staff = models.BooleanField(default=False)

    objects = CustomUserManager()

    USERNAME_FIELD = ’email’

    REQUIRED_FIELDS = [‘first_name’, ‘last_name’]

    def __str__(self):

        return self.email

Step 4: Update settings.py

To make Django use this model instead of the default User model, add the following line in

AUTH_USER_MODEL = ‘accounts.CustomUser’

Step 5: Create and Apply Migrations

Run the following commands:

python manage.py makemigrations accounts

python manage.py migrate

Step 6: Register the Model in admin.py

For AbstractUser:

from django.contrib import admin

from django.contrib.auth.admin import UserAdmin

from .models import CustomUser

class CustomUserAdmin(UserAdmin):

    fieldsets = UserAdmin.fieldsets + (

        (‘Additional Info’, {‘fields’: (‘phone_number’,)}),

    )

admin.site.register(CustomUser, CustomUserAdmin)

For AbstractBaseUser:

from django.contrib import admin

from django.contrib.auth.admin import UserAdmin

from .models import CustomUser

class CustomUserAdmin(UserAdmin):

    list_display = (’email’, ‘first_name’, ‘last_name’, ‘is_staff’)

    search_fields = (’email’, ‘first_name’, ‘last_name’)

    ordering = (’email’,)

admin.site.register(CustomUser, CustomUserAdmin)

Step 7: Create a Superuser

Run the command to create an admin user:

python manage.py createsuperuser

For AbstractUser, it will ask for a username.

For AbstractBaseUser, it will ask for an email instead.

Step 8: Test Login & Authentication

Start the server:

python manage.py runserver

By following these steps, you can create a fully functional custom user model in Django.

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