Django: A Python Framework

Author: Asif Shahzad | Full Stack Web Developer

What is Django?

Django is a Python web framework that is used for rapid development. It was initial release to the public in July 2005. Django emphasizes reusability of components, DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), and comes with ready-to-use features like login system, database connection and CRUD operations. Latest version of Django is 4.0.3 (March 2022).

How Django Works?

Django follows the MVT (Model View Template) design pattern.

• Model - The data you want to present, usually data from a database.
• View - A request handler that returns the relevant template and content - based on the request from the user.
• Template - A text file (like an HTML file) containing the layout of the web page, with logic on how to display the data.

Model

The model provides data from the database. In Django, the data is delivered as an Object Relational Mapping (ORM), which is a technique designed to make it easier to work with databases. The most common way to extract data from a database is SQL. One problem with SQL is that you have to have a pretty good understanding of the database structure to be able to work with it. Django, with ORM, makes it easier to communicate with the database, without having to write complex SQL statements. The models are usually located in a file called models.py.

View

A view is a function or method that takes http requests as arguments, imports the relevant model(s), and finds out what data to send to the template, and returns the final result. The views are usually located in a file called views.py.

Template

A template is a file where you describe how the result should be represented. Templates are often .html files, with HTML code describing the layout of a web page, but it can also be in other file formats to present other results, but we will concentrate on .html files. Django uses standard HTML to describe the layout, but uses Django tags. {{first_name}}

The templates of an application is located in a folder named templates.

URLs

Django also provides a way to navigate around the different pages in a website.

When a user requests a URL, Django decides which view it will send it to. This is done in a file called urls.py

Django VS Laravel

Conclusion: Which One is Right?

Django and Laravel are actually quite similar in terms of the applications they can develop. The major difference lies in the web application framework, where the former supports Python and the latter PHP. This translates to some differences in features and libraries to meet different requirements.

Django comes out on top in terms of speed (thanks in part to the faster Python), scalability and maintenance. Its built-in tools include decorators, SEO tools and third-party libraries. Laravel, on the other hand, is easier to use thanks to its simpler features, and contains strategy infusion as well.

In the end, the choice of framework comes down to its language and features.

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