Django Web Framework

If you have been working in Full-stack / Back-End web development for some time, there's pretty good chance that you've heard about Django web framework. I've been working with Django for over five years and I like it very much! It helped me get ahead with my Back-End development career and I think it has the potential to rule the job marketplace very soon.

In this article, I would like to share it's usefulness to others who are looking for opportunities in web development as a fresher or experienced candidate. It will also be useful to CTOs/Founders of new startups to choose the right framework for their products from the beginning. Trust me, choosing the right development tool can save a development team from lot of problems down the line.

Now, I would like to discuss about the useful features of Django that makes it very productive tool for developers-

The admin panel

The Django Admin Panel is a built-in feature of the Django web framework that provides an easy-to-use interface for managing a website's content, users, and other administrative tasks. It is a powerful tool that allows developers to quickly create, read, update, and delete data in the database without writing custom code. It's possible to generate a user interface based on the models defined in the application's code. This means that developers can manage the data in their application without having to write any custom views or templates.

The Django Admin Panel provides a range of features including:

1. Data editing: Developers can edit data in the database through a web interface, without having to write any custom views.
2. User management: Developers can manage users, groups, and permissions through the Django Admin Panel.
3. Filtering and searching: The Django Admin Panel provides a powerful filtering and search functionality that allows developers to find specific data quickly and easily.
4. Access management: The Django Admin Panel provides built-in security features, such as user authentication and permissions, to ensure that only authorized users can access and modify the data.

The Django Admin Panel is a valuable tool that simplifies the development and management of web applications, making it an essential feature of the Django web framework.

Unit Testing for Test Driven Development

Django provides built-in support for unit testing, which allows developers to write tests for their application's code to ensure that it works correctly and meets the requirements.

Here are the key features of Django's unit testing framework:

1. Test runner: Django provides a test runner that automatically discovers and runs tests in the application. Developers can run all the tests in the application, or specific tests, by running a single command.
2. Test cases: Django provides a base TestCase class that developers can extend to create test cases for their application. This class provides several useful methods and assertions for testing the application's code.
3. Database management: Django creates a separate test database that is used for running tests. This ensures that the tests do not affect the development or production databases.
4. Test fixtures: Django provides a mechanism for creating test data called fixtures. Fixtures are a set of pre-defined data that can be loaded into the test database before running the tests.
5. Code coverage: Django's test runner can generate code coverage reports that show how much of the application's code is covered by the tests.

Writing tests in Django is easy and straightforward. Developers can create test cases that check for the expected behavior of the application's code, and use assertions to ensure that the results are as expected. The Django documentation provides detailed information on how to write unit tests for a Django application.

Django ORM

Django ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) is a feature that allows developers to interact with a database using Python objects instead of raw SQL queries. This feature provides several advantages, including:

1. Simplified database access: Developers can use Python code to interact with a database instead of writing complex SQL queries.
2. Increased productivity: Using Django ORM can save time and effort by eliminating the need to write complex SQL statements, which allows developers to focus on other aspects of the application.
3. Portability: It provides a layer of abstraction between the application and the database, making it easier to switch databases without rewriting code.
4. Database migration: It has built-in support for database migration, which allows developers to make changes to the database schema without losing data.
5. Built-in caching: It also has built-in caching capabilities that help improve the performance of database queries.

Overall, Django ORM is a powerful feature that simplifies database access and increases productivity for developers using the Django framework.

GeoDjango

GeoDjango is a geographic extension for the Django web framework. It provides a set of tools and utilities that enable developers to build geo-spatial web applications with ease. If you are trying to develop applications like Mapping and navigation, delivery system, ride-sharing platform, fitness app, Location-based advertising or real estate apps then GeoDjango would be a perfect tool to start with. Some of the GeoDjango's useful features are as follows-

1. Geographic models: GeoDjango provides geographic models that allow developers to store spatial data in a database, such as points, lines, polygons, and more.
2. Spatial queries: Developers can perform spatial queries on spatial data in the database using GeoDjango's API. For example, they can search for all points within a given radius or all polygons that intersect a given area.
3. Spatial data import and export: GeoDjango provides tools to import and export spatial data to and from various formats, such as KML, GeoJSON, and shapefiles.
4. Geographic administration: GeoDjango provides geographic administration tools that allow developers to manage geographic data and make spatial queries using Django's built-in admin interface.

GeoDjango is built on top of popular geo-spatial libraries such as GEOS, PROJ.4, and GDAL. It also supports various spatial databases, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite. Overall, GeoDjango is a powerful tool that simplifies the development of geo-spatial web applications in Django.

Generic Classes for API Views

Django REST framework provides a set of Generic Viewsets that can be used to quickly create views for common REST API operations. These viewsets are based on the Django's class-based views and provide a consistent API for performing CRUD operations on a model.

Using Generic Viewsets can help reduce the amount of boilerplate code needed to create REST API views. Developers can simply define a serializer and a queryset for a model, and then use one of the Generic Viewsets to create views for the model.

In addition to the above generic viewsets, Django also provides Mixins that can be used to add additional functionality to a viewset, such as authentication and pagination. The Django documentation provides detailed information on how to use the Generic Viewsets and Mixins to create REST API views.

Django-based opensource projects

No matter what type of application you are trying to develop, you don't have to start from the scratch if you decide to utilize Django ecosystem. There are many open source Django-based projects available on Github. The list includes learning platforms, e-commerce applications, CMS systems, ERP systems and many more. Here are a few examples:

1. Open edX: It is an open-source online learning platform that provides tools for creating and delivering online courses, programs, and degrees. It was founded by edX, a nonprofit organization created by Harvard and MIT in 2012, and has since been used by a wide range of institutions and organizations around the world. It includes a range of features for creating and managing online courses, including course authoring tools, video and multimedia content support, assessments and quizzes, discussion forums, and progress tracking. It also includes comprehensive documentation and support resources to help users get started and troubleshoot any issues they may encounter. It is well-suited for a range of online learning and training needs, and has been used by institutions and organizations in fields such as education, government, and industry.
2. Odoo: It is an open-source, all-in-one ERP ecosystem that includes modules for accounting, project management, CRM, e-commerce, inventory management, and many other business-related tasks. It's based on the Python programming language and uses a modular architecture that allows users to easily customize and extend the software to fit their specific business needs. It's highly customizable, and users can easily create custom modules or modify existing ones to add new features or modify the behavior of the software. It also has a large and active community of developers and users who contribute to the development and improvement of the software.
3. Saleor: It is an e-commerce platform built with Python and Django. It is designed to be fast, flexible, and scalable. It provides a complete set of features for creating an online store. It has a modern, user-friendly interface that is optimized for mobile devices and provides a seamless shopping experience for customers. It also includes a powerful admin interface that allows store owners to manage their products, orders, customers, and other aspects of their business.
4. Django Oscar: Oscar is an open-source e-commerce framework built with Python and Django. It has a modular architecture that allows developers to build highly customized online stores and marketplaces. It includes a wide range of features and modules for managing products, orders, payments, shipping, promotions, and more. It also includes support for multiple languages, currencies, and payment gateways, and can be easily integrated with popular shipping providers. It provides a set of tools and APIs for creating custom product types, workflows, and pricing models. It also has a powerful search engine, and support for product reviews, ratings, and recommendations. Oscar is well-suited for both small and large-scale e-commerce projects, and has been used by a variety of businesses and organizations around the world.
5. Wagtail: Wagtail is an open-source content management system (CMS) built with Python and Django. It includes a modern, responsive interface that is optimized for content editors and can be easily customized to match the branding and style of a website. It also includes a powerful page builder that allows users to easily create and manage complex layouts and content types. It provides a range of features for managing users, groups, permissions, and workflows, and includes support for multi-language content, version control, and scheduling. It also includes a powerful search engine and integrations with popular analytics and marketing tools. It's well-suited for a range of website and content management needs, and has been used by businesses, organizations, and governments around the world.

These are just a few examples of the many open source Django-based projects available on the internet. Here is an extensive list of awesome projects that are related to Django.

From Django website- "Django: The web framework for perfectionists with deadlines." I agree with this statement. Django focuses on Developer productivity while maintaining best coding practices and DRY(Don't Repeat Yourself) principles which every developer wants. So, when you start working on your next billion dollar web application, give Django a try.

Happy coding!