How to Use Docker with a Django Project Without a Virtual Environment?

Essentially, your Docker container acts as a virtual environment itself, which makes using venv within it somewhat unnecessary. If your Python files are in another directory, just ensure you have an `__init__.py` file in your package directories. That should help with any import issues you're facing.

When you run your code inside a Docker container, it has all the required Python libraries already installed via the requirements.txt file. On the other hand, your local environment would need those libraries separately installed. While you can use `docker exec` to access the container's shell, it's not usually necessary for a development setup. It might be better to use a virtual environment like venv or pipx for local development instead.

If you're developing, it's usually best to set up a virtual environment locally. Even though you don't need a venv inside the Docker container, doing so will let your editor or IDE recognize the installed packages and eliminate those import warnings. You can use bind mounts to link your local files to the container, so if you run `manage.py runserver`, you'll still benefit from hot reloading when you make changes.