---
title: "contrib packages"
version: 1.8
locale: en
source: https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.8/ref/contrib/
canonical: https://djangodocs.dev/en/1.8/ref/contrib/
---
# `contrib` packages

Django aims to follow Python’s [“batteries included” philosophy](https://docs.python.org/tutorial/stdlib.html#batteries-included). It ships
with a variety of extra, optional tools that solve common Web-development
problems.

This code lives in `django/contrib` in the Django distribution. This document
gives a rundown of the packages in `contrib`, along with any dependencies
those packages have.

> **Note**
>
> For most of these add-ons – specifically, the add-ons that include either
> models or template tags – you’ll need to add the package name (e.g.,
> `'django.contrib.redirects'`) to your [`INSTALLED_APPS`](/en/1.8/ref/settings/#std-setting-INSTALLED_APPS) setting
> and re-run `manage.py migrate`.

- [The Django admin site](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/admin/)
- [`django.contrib.auth`](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/auth/)
- [User](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/auth/#user)
- [Anonymous users](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/auth/#anonymous-users)
- [Permission](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/auth/#permission)
- [Group](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/auth/#group)
- [Login and logout signals](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/auth/#module-django.contrib.auth.signals)
- [Authentication backends](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/auth/#module-django.contrib.auth.backends)
- [The contenttypes framework](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/contenttypes/)
- [The flatpages app](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/flatpages/)
- [django.contrib.formtools](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/formtools/)
- [GeoDjango](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/gis/)
- [django.contrib.humanize](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/humanize/)
- [The messages framework](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/messages/)
- [`django.contrib.postgres`](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/postgres/)
- [The redirects app](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/redirects/)
- [The sitemap framework](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/sitemaps/)
- [The “sites” framework](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/sites/)
- [The staticfiles app](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/staticfiles/)
- [The syndication feed framework](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/syndication/)
- [django.contrib.webdesign](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/webdesign/)

## admin

The automatic Django administrative interface. For more information, see
[Tutorial 2](/en/1.8/intro/tutorial02/) and the
[admin documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/admin/).

Requires the [auth](#auth) and [contenttypes](#contenttypes) contrib packages to be installed.

## auth

Django’s authentication framework.

See [User authentication in Django](/en/1.8/topics/auth/).

## contenttypes

A light framework for hooking into “types” of content, where each installed
Django model is a separate content type.

See the [contenttypes documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/contenttypes/).

## flatpages

A framework for managing simple “flat” HTML content in a database.

See the [flatpages documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/flatpages/).

Requires the [sites](#sites) contrib package to be installed as well.

## gis

A world-class geospatial framework built on top of Django, that enables
storage, manipulation and display of spatial data.

See the [GeoDjango](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/gis/) documentation for more.

## humanize

A set of Django template filters useful for adding a “human touch” to data.

See the [humanize documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/humanize/).

## messages

A framework for storing and retrieving temporary cookie- or session-based
messages

See the [messages documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/messages/).

## postgres

A collection of PostgreSQL specific features.

See the [contrib.postgres documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/postgres/).

## redirects

A framework for managing redirects.

See the [redirects documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/redirects/).

## sessions

A framework for storing data in anonymous sessions.

See the [sessions documentation](/en/1.8/topics/http/sessions/).

## sites

A light framework that lets you operate multiple Web sites off of the same
database and Django installation. It gives you hooks for associating objects to
one or more sites.

See the [sites documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/sites/).

## sitemaps

A framework for generating Google sitemap XML files.

See the [sitemaps documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/sitemaps/).

## syndication

A framework for generating syndication feeds, in RSS and Atom, quite easily.

See the [syndication documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/syndication/).

## webdesign

Helpers and utilities targeted primarily at Web *designers* rather than
Web *developers*.

See the [Web design helpers documentation](/en/1.8/ref/contrib/webdesign/).

## Other add-ons

If you have an idea for functionality to include in `contrib`, let us know!
Code it up, and post it to the [django-users](/en/1.8/internals/mailing-lists/#django-users-mailing-list) mailing list.