You must either define the environment variable DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE or call settings.configure() before accessing settings.

  1. The error message indicates that the Django project is unable to locate its settings module, and it suggests two possible solutions.

  2. To resolve the issue, you can define the environment variable DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE. This variable should contain the Python import path to your Django project's settings module.

  3. Alternatively, you can call the settings.configure() function before accessing the settings. This function is provided by Django and allows you to manually configure the settings in situations where the normal initialization process may not have occurred.

  4. Choose either of the mentioned solutions based on your preference or project requirements.

  5. If you opt to define the environment variable, ensure that it is set to the correct import path of your Django project's settings module. This can typically be achieved by running a command like:

bash export DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=your_project.settings

Replace "your_project.settings" with the actual import path to your project's settings module.

  1. If you prefer using the settings.configure() method, place the following code at the beginning of your script or Django management command:

```python from django.conf import settings

settings.configure() ```

This will manually configure the Django settings.

  1. After completing either step 5 or 6, you should be able to access the Django settings without encountering the mentioned error.