You probably interact with Django websites every day and don’t even know it. They’re a favorite of developers because the coding process is lean, quick, and secure.
But is it the right fit for you? Here at WillDom, we have flexible remote teams that live and breathe Django websites, so we want to pass that expertise on to you. Let’s start out with what Django is and does, which sectors use it most, and why. And finally, take a look at our top 5 Django website example picks.
What is Django?
Django is a web framework for Python, which is a high-level, user-friendly, and widely-used coding language. You could write in Python and not use the Django framework. Migrating onto Django is an option as well.
Django is open-source (always improving) and developers creating large apps absolutely love it. Efficiency and clean coding are the pillars of this framework. Django takes as much of the tedium, repetition, and hassle out of coding as possible. It was built by developers for developers so it has everything they need and nothing they don’t.
Django’s Advantages
So why use Django for your next Python website project?
DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself)
Django uses the DRY approach to eliminate redundancies. This creates a faster, cleaner development process with fewer bugs and rewrites.
Templates
Django website templates are Python strings (or text documents) configured to the Django language. You don’t have to use templates but they do make HTML rendering easier.
MVC (Model-View-Controller)
MVC makes it easy to view the different layers of your app. Make a change on one and Django will sync your changes across the app. With it, you can navigate between logic and end-user experience seamlessly.
Reusable Library
Why rewrite when you can reuse? Django has an extensive library of models, code snippets, classes, functions, and more. Take advantage of it to work smarter, not harder.
Flexible
Build systems like filtration, marketing emails, and learning algorithms. With extensive database support, Django can integrate into almost any system and create the best Django websites.
Scalable
If you think you’ll be growing, (and who doesn’t?) you want to be able to scale. Django is strong in multi-page web content. You can add both vast amounts of content and a staggering number of users without missing a beat.
Secure
One of the most secure frameworks, Django is strong against SQL injection and other common hacks. It has a great authentication system, secure accounts, and multilingual/multi-character support as well as protection.
Who Uses Django the Most and Why?
Social Media & Content Databases: high number of users uploading content continuously
Online Marketplaces: security and high traffic needs
Django Website
YouTube
Today, over 2 billion people use YouTube to share and consume video content. With that level of traffic viewing that amount of content, it could not function properly without its stable and scalable Django framework.
In the early days, YouTube was actually built with PHP but the increased feature and growth demand lead their team straight to Django. And they haven’t looked back since.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is another example of Python-built that changed to Django. Around 2010, this ticketing and event management superstar had more traffic than it could handle on its original native frameworks.
The transition to Django made Eventbrite the go-to event app it is today. They now have a stable, feature-rich framework as well as access to the Django community for continuous improvement.
Imagine the sheer number of images, accounts, and information being uploaded to Instagram every second. It’s mind-blowing. Python+Django was the perfect choice for this fast-growing social hotspot.
And guess what else? The prototype was built in 2 weeks. Feature updates with the Django framework are easy to implement and can be created for Android and iOS at the same time.
DropBox
Security and stability are the key features of this Django behemoth. This cloud-based storage solution makes it so we can access our data anywhere, anytime, and on any device. The basics of the app were cooked up quickly with Python but the real substance came with Django’s additional features: account syncing, file sharing, and user history.
NASA
Django provides the security a government website needs and the usability its star-gazing audience wants. NASAs website gets more traffic than you might think, serving around a million users every day. And they want to watch high-def, full-length, easy-to-access space videos. Other databases and security-heavy government websites use Python+Java as well (healthcare for instance) but space exploration is a bit flashier.
Django websites are scalable, secure, and user-friendly. In 2022 it was by far the crowd-favorite Python framework and, with industry standards like YouTube singing Django’s praises, we don’t anticipate that changing anytime soon.
As you’ve seen from our Django website’s list of examples, the possibilities are endless. But the time spent developing isn’t! Imagine creating the next Instagram in weeks instead of years. If you need a team that loves Django enough to write an article about it, you’ve found it. Contact us at WillDom or on our LinkedIn. Or if you’re developing your own, we’d love to see your finished project make it into our top 5 next year.