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Introduction

Django is a high-level Python web framework designed for rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. It encourages following the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle and promotes the reuse of code. Django is widely used for building robust and scalable web applications, from simple blogs to complex e-commerce sites.

Features of Django​

  • Batteries-Included Framework: Comes with built-in libraries and features like authentication, URL routing, ORM (Object-Relational Mapping), template engine, and more.
  • Scalable: Suitable for building applications of any scale, from small to enterprise-level projects.
  • Secure: Provides built-in protections against common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, and clickjacking.
  • Versatile: Supports various functionalities such as content management systems, social networking sites, scientific computing platforms, etc.
  • ORM (Object-Relational Mapping): Allows developers to interact with databases using Python objects instead of SQL.
  • Rich Ecosystem: Supported by a large community and numerous third-party packages to extend functionality.

Django's Architecture​

Django follows the MTV (Model-Template-View) pattern, which is a variation of the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern:

  • Model: Represents the data layer of the application, defining the structure of your database, including fields and behaviors.
  • Template: Represents the presentation layer, used to render data to the frontend using the Django template language (DTL).
  • View: Acts as a bridge between the Model and Template, containing logic for handling HTTP requests and returning HTTP responses.

Components of a Django Project​

  1. Project: The entire Django setup, including configurations and applications. Created using django-admin startproject.
  2. App: A web application that performs specific tasks (e.g., a blog app). Created using python manage.py startapp.
  3. URLs: Maps URLs to views using a URL dispatcher (urls.py).
  4. Settings: Contains project configurations like database settings, middleware, and installed apps.

Installing and Setting Up Django​

  1. Install Django: pip install django
  2. Create a Django Project: django-admin startproject myproject
  3. Run the Development Server: python manage.py runserver
  4. Create an Application: python manage.py startapp myapp