Django Framework

Overview

Master Django, the high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Learn to build secure, scalable web applications with Django's batteries-included approach.

Learning Objectives

Build full-stack web applications using Django MVC pattern
Design and implement database models with Django ORM
Implement user authentication and authorization
Create RESTful APIs with Django REST Framework
Deploy Django applications to production

Core Topics

1. Django Basics & Project Structure

Django project setup and configuration
Understanding MVT (Model-View-Template) pattern
URL routing and views
Django settings and environment variables
Static files and media handling

Code Example:

# myapp/views.py
from django.shortcuts import render
from django.http import JsonResponse
from .models import Product

def product_list(request):
    products = Product.objects.all()
    return render(request, 'products/list.html', {'products': products})

def product_api(request):
    products = Product.objects.values('id', 'name', 'price')
    return JsonResponse(list(products), safe=False)

2. Django ORM & Database Models

Model definition and field types
Relationships (ForeignKey, ManyToMany, OneToOne)
QuerySets and database queries
Migrations and schema management
Database optimization (select_related, prefetch_related)

Code Example:

# models.py
from django.db import models
from django.contrib.auth.models import User

class Category(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    slug = models.SlugField(unique=True)
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)

    class Meta:
        verbose_name_plural = "Categories"

    def __str__(self):
        return self.name

class Product(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=200)
    description = models.TextField()
    price = models.DecimalField(max_digits=10, decimal_places=2)
    category = models.ForeignKey(Category, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    created_by = models.ForeignKey(User, on_delete=models.SET_NULL, null=True)
    is_active = models.BooleanField(default=True)
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
    updated_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True)

    def __str__(self):
        return self.name

# Efficient querying
products = Product.objects.select_related('category', 'created_by').filter(is_active=True)

3. Authentication & Authorization

User registration and login
Password management
Session management
Permissions and groups
Custom user models
Social authentication

Code Example:

# views.py
from django.contrib.auth import authenticate, login, logout
from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required, permission_required
from django.shortcuts import redirect, render

def login_view(request):
    if request.method == 'POST':
        username = request.POST['username']
        password = request.POST['password']
        user = authenticate(request, username=username, password=password)
        if user is not None:
            login(request, user)
            return redirect('dashboard')
    return render(request, 'login.html')

@login_required
def dashboard(request):
    return render(request, 'dashboard.html')

@permission_required('products.add_product')
def add_product(request):
    # Only users with 'add_product' permission can access
    return render(request, 'products/add.html')

4. Django REST Framework

Serializers and validation
ViewSets and routers
Authentication (JWT, Token)
Permissions and throttling
Pagination and filtering

Code Example:

# serializers.py
from rest_framework import serializers
from .models import Product, Category

class CategorySerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = Category
        fields = ['id', 'name', 'slug']

class ProductSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    category = CategorySerializer(read_only=True)
    category_id = serializers.IntegerField(write_only=True)

    class Meta:
        model = Product
        fields = ['id', 'name', 'description', 'price', 'category', 'category_id', 'created_at']

# views.py
from rest_framework import viewsets
from rest_framework.permissions import IsAuthenticatedOrReadOnly

class ProductViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
    queryset = Product.objects.all()
    serializer_class = ProductSerializer
    permission_classes = [IsAuthenticatedOrReadOnly]

    def get_queryset(self):
        queryset = super().get_queryset()
        category = self.request.query_params.get('category')
        if category:
            queryset = queryset.filter(category__slug=category)
        return queryset

Hands-On Practice

Project 1: Blog Application

Build a full-featured blog with user authentication.

Requirements:

User registration and login
Create, edit, delete posts
Comments system
Categories and tags
Search functionality
Admin interface

Key Skills: Django models, views, forms, authentication

Project 2: E-commerce API

Create a RESTful API for an e-commerce platform.

Requirements:

Product catalog with categories
Shopping cart management
Order processing
User authentication with JWT
API documentation
Rate limiting

Key Skills: Django REST Framework, serializers, authentication

Project 3: Task Management System

Build a collaborative task management application.

Requirements:

User registration and teams
Create and assign tasks
Task status tracking
File attachments
Real-time notifications
Permission-based access

Key Skills: Complex models, permissions, file handling

Assessment Criteria

Set up Django projects with proper structure
Design normalized database schemas
Implement CRUD operations efficiently
Secure applications with authentication
Build RESTful APIs following best practices
Write Django tests (unit and integration)
Deploy to production environment

Resources

Official Documentation

Django Docs - Official documentation
Django REST Framework - DRF documentation
Django Girls Tutorial - Beginner-friendly

Learning Platforms

Django for Beginners - Book and tutorials
Two Scoops of Django - Best practices
TestDriven.io - Django with TDD

Tools

Django Debug Toolbar - Debugging
django-extensions - Useful utilities
Celery - Async tasks
PostgreSQL - Recommended database

Next Steps

After mastering Django, explore:

FastAPI - Modern, fast web framework
Celery - Asynchronous task queue
Docker - Containerization for deployment
AWS/Heroku - Cloud deployment platforms