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Chandanbir Singh

Intoduction to Django

What is Django?

Django is a high-level Python web framework that enables rapid development of secure and maintainable websites. It was designed to help developers take applications from concept to completion as quickly as possible. Django follows the model-template-views (MTV) architectural pattern and emphasizes reusability, less code, and rapid development. It comes with a variety of built-in features and functionalities that help developers build web applications efficiently.

Why Django?

Advantages

  1. Rapid Development: Django’s principle of “don ‘t repeat yourself"" (DRY) allows for quick development cycles.
  2. Secure: Django helps developers avoid many common security mistakes by providing a secure framework for building web applications.
  3. Scalable: Django is designed to accommodate applications of any size, from simple projects to large-scale applications.
  4. Versatile: Django can be used for a variety of web applications, including content management systems (CMS), e-commerce sites, and more.
  5. Community Support: Django has a large and active community that contributes to its development and provides extensive documentation and tutorials.

Disadvantages

  1. Monolithic: Django’s “batteries-included” philosophy means it comes with a lot of built-in features, which can be overkill for small projects.
  2. Learning Curve: Due to its comprehensive nature, there can be a steep learning curve for beginners.
  3. Opinionated: Django has its own way of doing things, which might not align with the preferences of all developers.

Steps to Install Django

  1. Install Python: Ensure Python is installed on your system. You can download it from python.org .

  2. Create a Virtual Environment: It’s recommended to use a virtual environment to manage your project’s dependencies.

    python -m venv myenv

    Activate the virtual environment:

    • On Windows:

      myenv\Scripts\activate

    • On MacOS/Linux:

      source myenv/bin/activate

  3. Install Django: With the virtual environment activated, install Django using pip.

    pip install django

  4. Create a Django Project: Use Django’s command-line tool to create a new project.

    django-admin startproject myproject

  5. Run the Development Server: Navigate to your project directory and run the development server.

    cd myproject python
    manage.py runserver

    You can now visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/ in your browser to see the default Django welcome page.

  6. Create a Django App: To add functionality to your project, create an app. python manage.py startapp myapp

By following these steps, you can get started with Django and begin developing robust and scalable web applications.