diff --git a/orchestra/conf/project_template/project_name/settings.py b/orchestra/conf/project_template/project_name/settings.py
index 209d91a4..576dd0b8 100644
--- a/orchestra/conf/project_template/project_name/settings.py
+++ b/orchestra/conf/project_template/project_name/settings.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ SECRET_KEY = '{{ secret_key }}'
 # SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
 DEBUG = True
 
+ALLOWED_HOSTS = []
 
 # Application definition
 
@@ -84,6 +85,21 @@ INSTALLED_APPS = [
 ]
 
 
+MIDDLEWARE = [
+    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
+    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
+    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
+    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
+    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
+    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
+    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
+
+    'orchestra.core.caches.RequestCacheMiddleware',
+    # also handles transations, ATOMIC_REQUESTS does not wrap middlewares
+    'orchestra.contrib.orchestration.middlewares.OperationsMiddleware',
+]
+
+
 ROOT_URLCONF = '{{ project_name }}.urls'
 
 TEMPLATES = [
@@ -127,6 +143,24 @@ DATABASES = {
 }
 
 
+# Password validation
+# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/{{ docs_version }}/ref/settings/#auth-password-validators
+
+AUTH_PASSWORD_VALIDATORS = [
+    {
+        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.UserAttributeSimilarityValidator',
+    },
+    {
+        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.MinimumLengthValidator',
+    },
+    {
+        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.CommonPasswordValidator',
+    },
+    {
+        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.NumericPasswordValidator',
+    },
+]
+
 # Internationalization
 # https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/{{ docs_version }}/topics/i18n/
 
@@ -168,22 +202,6 @@ LOCALE_PATHS = (
 ORCHESTRA_SITE_NAME = '{{ project_name }}'
 
 
-MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
-    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
-    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
-    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
-    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
-    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.SessionAuthenticationMiddleware',
-    # 'django.middleware.locale.LocaleMiddleware'
-    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
-    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
-    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
-    'orchestra.core.caches.RequestCacheMiddleware',
-    # also handles transations, ATOMIC_REQUESTS does not wrap middlewares
-    'orchestra.contrib.orchestration.middlewares.OperationsMiddleware',
-)
-
-
 AUTH_USER_MODEL = 'accounts.Account'
 
 
diff --git a/orchestra/contrib/orchestration/middlewares.py b/orchestra/contrib/orchestration/middlewares.py
index 2daefe19..61333c56 100644
--- a/orchestra/contrib/orchestration/middlewares.py
+++ b/orchestra/contrib/orchestration/middlewares.py
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 from threading import local
 
 from django.contrib.admin.models import LogEntry
-from django.urls import resolve
 from django.db import transaction
-from django.db.models.signals import pre_delete, post_save, m2m_changed
+from django.db.models.signals import m2m_changed, post_save, pre_delete
 from django.dispatch import receiver
 from django.http.response import HttpResponseServerError
-
+from django.urls import resolve
+from django.utils.deprecation import MiddlewareMixin
 from orchestra.utils.python import OrderedSet
 
-from . import manager, Operation
+from . import Operation, manager
 from .helpers import message_user
 from .models import BackendLog, BackendOperation
 
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ def m2m_collector(sender, *args, **kwargs):
         OperationsMiddleware.collect(Operation.SAVE, **kwargs)
 
 
-class OperationsMiddleware(object):
+class OperationsMiddleware(MiddlewareMixin):
     """
     Stores all the operations derived from save and delete signals and executes them
     at the end of the request/response cycle
diff --git a/orchestra/core/caches.py b/orchestra/core/caches.py
index 9c5e86fb..ebf5f122 100644
--- a/orchestra/core/caches.py
+++ b/orchestra/core/caches.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ from threading import currentThread
 
 from django.core.cache.backends.dummy import DummyCache
 from django.core.cache.backends.locmem import LocMemCache
-
+from django.utils.deprecation import MiddlewareMixin
 
 _request_cache = {}
 
@@ -25,21 +25,21 @@ def get_request_cache():
         return DummyCache('dummy', {})
 
 
-class RequestCacheMiddleware(object):
+class RequestCacheMiddleware(MiddlewareMixin):
     def process_request(self, request):
         current_thread = currentThread()
         cache = _request_cache.get(current_thread, RequestCache())
         _request_cache[current_thread] = cache
         cache.clear()
-    
+
     def clear_cache(self):
         current_thread = currentThread()
         if currentThread() in _request_cache:
             _request_cache[current_thread].clear()
-    
+
     def process_exception(self, request, exception):
         self.clear_cache()
-    
+
     def process_response(self, request, response):
         self.clear_cache()
         return response
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 7e35c884..69fb6965 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ django-celery==3.2.1
 celery==3.1.23
 kombu==3.0.35
 billiard==3.3.0.23
-Markdown==2.4
+Markdown==3.3.4
 djangorestframework==3.10.3
 ecdsa==0.11
 Pygments==1.6