Complete Django guide for beginners. Learn models, views, templates, Django REST framework, and deployment. Build production-ready web applications with Python.
pip install django djangorestframeworkDjango is a high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Created by experienced developers, it takes care of much of the hassle of web development so you can focus on writing your app without reinventing the wheel.
Why Django? It follows the 'batteries-included' philosophy - you get authentication, admin panel, ORM, forms, security features, and more out of the box. Instagram, Spotify, and NASA use Django in production.
Django's MVT (Model-View-Template) architecture separates concerns clearly. Models define your data structure, views handle business logic, and templates manage presentation. This makes code maintainable and scalable.
The Django ORM (Object-Relational Mapper) lets you interact with databases using Python code instead of SQL. Define models as Python classes, and Django handles table creation, queries, and relationships automatically.
Django Admin is a production-ready admin interface that comes free. Just register your models and get a fully functional CRUD interface with search, filters, and pagination - no code required.
URL routing in Django is explicit and clean. You define URL patterns in urls.py and map them to views. This makes your application structure transparent and easy to understand.
Django's template engine lets you create dynamic HTML with variables, loops, filters, and template inheritance. It's secure by default - XSS protection and CSRF protection are built-in.
Django REST Framework (DRF) extends Django to build APIs quickly. Serializers, viewsets, and authentication make API development straightforward. Most Django projects use DRF for mobile/SPA backends.
# Install and create project pip install django django-admin startproject mysite cd mysite # Create an app python manage.py startapp blog # Run development server python manage.py runserver # Visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/
# models.py
from django.db import models
class Post(models.Model):
title = models.CharField(max_length=200)
content = models.TextField()
created = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
# views.py
from django.shortcuts import render
from .models import Post
def post_list(request):
posts = Post.objects.all().order_by('-created')
return render(request, 'blog/posts.html', {'posts': posts})Model.objects.all()Get all records from database
Model.objects.filter()Filter records by condition
Model.save()Save model instance to database
render()Render template with context