Frequently Asked Questions about Django

What is Django?

Django is a Python web framework that takes care of the difficult and common parts of web development--authentication, database connection, CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations, URL routing, forms, security, etc.--so you can concentrate on what makes your app unique without needing to reinvent the wheel.

Is Django for the backend or frontend?

Django is primarily used for backend web development: connecting to a database, adding logic, user authentication, creating APIs, URL routing, etc. It does have a lightweight templating language for frontend use, but this is often swapped out for more powerful frontend frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular.

What is Django vs. Python?

Python is a computer programming language used in data science, artificial intelligence, automation, and website building. It is a general-purpose language that emphasizes code readability, making it popular for beginners and introductory programming classes.

Django is a web framework written in Python that handles common challenges in web development-—connecting to a database, authentication, forms, security, URL routing, etc.—so developers don't have to reinvent the wheel.

Is Django a programming language?

No, Django is a web framework for creating applications or APIs written in Python. Many common challenges in web development—connecting to a database, user authentication, URL routing, forms, security—are handled by a framework like Django so a developer can focus on writing code specific to the project rather than reinventing the wheel.

Is Django full-stack or not?

Yes, Django provides all the tools you need for backend and frontend web development, including database connections, URL routing, forms, and templates. It is generally considered a backend framework because developers can also swap in a dedicated JavaScript frontend library like Vue or React.

Should I learn Django before Python?

You should start with Python since Django is a Python-based web framework. Everything in Django is just Python. You don't need to master Python before attempting Django, but understanding basic syntax, variables, dictionaries, and object-oriented techniques like classes is recommended.

How do I ask a good programming question?

Many beginners find a gap between following along with tutorials or books and building out their own projects with seemingly unique requirements. Chances are, whatever functionality you can imagine has already been implemented by others. Try to be as specific as possible when asking a question in a place like the Django Forum. Instead of asking: how do I build a blog site? Say, I've already taken these steps and am currently stuck on this specific thing. I've looked online but can't find the exact code for the issue. This shows that you have made efforts already to answer the question, and it is something small enough that an experienced Django developer can answer quickly.