?? 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Django Development??

Hey, Developers! ?? If you’ve spent any time working with Django, you’ve probably run into a few bumps along the way. I know I have! Here are five common mistakes I’ve seen (and made) in Django projects—and how you can dodge them:

1. Hardcoding Sensitive Data in settings.py ?? We’ve all been tempted to just throw our API keys and passwords straight into settings.py. But trust me, it’s a bad idea! Use environment variables or a .env file to keep that info safe and your settings flexible.

2. Skipping Migrations, Then Wondering Why Things Are Broken ??

Forgetting to run migrations is like skipping leg day—you’ll regret it later. Every time you tweak your models, run makemigrations and migrate. Your database will thank you!

3. Writing Inefficient Queries and Slowing Down Your App ??

Django’s ORM is awesome, but it can slow things down if you’re not careful. Avoid the dreaded n+1 query problem by using select_related and prefetch_related. And don’t forget to check your query performance with django-debug-toolbar—it’s a lifesaver.

4. Forgetting to Set Up Static & Media Files in Production ??

Static and media files can be a headache if not handled right. Make sure you’ve set up STATIC_ROOT and MEDIA_ROOT, and consider using cloud storage like S3 for your media files. Nothing kills a launch like broken images or missing CSS!

5. Not Taking Security Seriously Until It’s Too Late ??

Security isn’t something to tackle at the last minute. Django comes with a ton of built-in protections—like CSRF and XSS prevention—so use them! And if you’re deploying your app, run through Django’s Security Checklist to make sure you’re covered.

These are just a few tips to help you avoid some common pitfalls and keep your Django projects running smoothly. Got any other tips or lessons learned? Drop them in the comments—I’d love to hear your experiences!

Happy coding, everyone! ????