---
id: django-unfold
version: "0.104.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# django-unfold — Modern Django Admin

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 1.4M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Unfold is a Django admin replacement that wraps django.contrib.admin with a modern interface built on Tailwind CSS, Alpine.js, and HTMX. It provides a redesigned UI with dark mode, sidebar navigation, and improved form workflows without requiring migration of existing models or admin code. The package works incrementally—you can adopt it on a per-model basis by inheriting from Unfold's ModelAdmin class, and it runs alongside the standard Django admin in the same project.

The package includes built-in features for internal tools and backoffice applications: custom filters (autocomplete, numeric, datetime), dashboard helpers, reusable UI components, conditional field visibility, inline tabs, sortable inlines, a command palette for model search, and support for popular third-party packages. It requires Python 3.12 or later and Django 5.2, 6.0, or 6.1.

Use it for:

- Modernize the look and feel of a Django admin interface for internal tools without rewriting existing ModelAdmin classes.
- Build a custom backoffice dashboard with Unfold's dashboard helpers and UI components for monitoring or data entry.
- Add dark mode support and improved mobile-friendly navigation to an existing Django admin without full replacement.
- Implement advanced filtering and search in admin changelists for better data discovery.
- Gradually migrate a legacy Django admin by adopting Unfold on new models while keeping old models on standard admin.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Replaces Django's default admin interface with a modern, Tailwind CSS-based UI while preserving all standard Django admin functionality and allowing side-by-side operation with the original admin.

Yes. Unfold is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, installs with low friction (one dependency), and offers a genuine modernization of Django admin without forcing a full rewrite. It's well-suited for teams building internal tools or backoffice applications that want a contemporary UI and improved workflows. The incremental adoption model makes it safe to introduce into existing projects.

## Install

pip install django-unfold
uv add django-unfold
poetry add django-unfold

## Installing django-unfold

Before you install: Low friction: single runtime dependency on django, distributed as a wheel, and actively maintained with a release 2 days old. The project has 3626 stars and receives regular updates.

License in practice: MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and proprietary projects with minimal obligations.

Quickstart:

pip install django-unfold

# In settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    "unfold",
    # ...
]

# In admin.py
from unfold.admin import ModelAdmin

class MyModelAdmin(ModelAdmin):
    pass

Requires Python 3.12 or later and Django 5.2, 6.0, or 6.1.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package's third-party integrations are optional or required for core functionality
- Performance impact on large admin datasets compared to standard Django admin
- Compatibility guarantees with custom Django admin extensions or monkey-patched admin code

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 1.4M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

django admin ui modernization, tailwind css django admin, modern django admin interface, django admin theme replacement, django admin dark mode, enhanced django admin dashboard, django admin sidebar navigation, django-admin, ui-framework, tailwind-css

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/django-unfold) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/django-unfold/)