Getting Started with Django: Python Web Framework

Django is a high-level Python web framework that enables rapid development of secure and maintainable websites. Built by experienced developers, it takes care of much of the hassle of web development.

Why Django?

1. Batteries Included: Admin panel, ORM, authentication built-in
2. Security: Protection against SQL injection, XSS, CSRF
3. Scalable: Powers Instagram, Pinterest, Disqus
4. Versatile: APIs, web apps, content management
5. Great Documentation: Extensive docs and tutorials

Installation and Setup

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Windows: venv\\Scripts\\activate

# Install Django
pip install django

# Create project
django-admin startproject myproject
cd myproject

# Create app
python manage.py startapp blog

# Run development server
python manage.py runserver

Project Structure

myproject/
├── myproject/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   ├── asgi.py
│   └── wsgi.py
├── blog/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── admin.py
│   ├── apps.py
│   ├── models.py
│   ├── tests.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── views.py
├── templates/
├── static/
└── manage.py

Creating Models

# blog/models.py
from django.db import models
from django.contrib.auth.models import User
from django.urls import reverse
from django.utils import timezone

class Category(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    slug = models.SlugField(unique=True)
    description = models.TextField(blank=True)

    class Meta:
        verbose_name_plural = "categories"
        ordering = ['name']

    def __str__(self):
        return self.name


class Post(models.Model):
    STATUS_CHOICES = [
        ('draft', 'Draft'),
        ('published', 'Published'),
    ]

    title = models.CharField(max_length=200)
    slug = models.SlugField(unique=True)
    author = models.ForeignKey(User, on_delete=models.CASCADE, related_name='blog_posts')
    category = models.ForeignKey(Category, on_delete=models.SET_NULL, null=True, related_name='posts')
    content = models.TextField()
    excerpt = models.TextField(max_length=500, blank=True)
    featured_image = models.ImageField(upload_to='blog/', blank=True)
    status = models.CharField(max_length=10, choices=STATUS_CHOICES, default='draft')
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
    updated_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True)
    published_at = models.DateTimeField(default=timezone.now)

    class Meta:
        ordering = ['-published_at']

    def __str__(self):
        return self.title

    def get_absolute_url(self):
        return reverse('blog:post_detail', kwargs={'slug': self.slug})


class Comment(models.Model):
    post = models.ForeignKey(Post, on_delete=models.CASCADE, related_name='comments')
    author = models.ForeignKey(User, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    content = models.TextField()
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
    is_approved = models.BooleanField(default=False)

    class Meta:
        ordering = ['-created_at']

    def __str__(self):
        return "Comment by {} on {}".format(self.author.username, self.post.title)

Creating Views

# blog/views.py
from django.shortcuts import render, get_object_or_404, redirect
from django.views.generic import ListView, DetailView, CreateView, UpdateView
from django.contrib.auth.mixins import LoginRequiredMixin
from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
from django.contrib import messages
from django.db.models import Q
from .models import Post, Category, Comment
from .forms import PostForm, CommentForm


class PostListView(ListView):
    model = Post
    template_name = 'blog/post_list.html'
    context_object_name = 'posts'
    paginate_by = 10

    def get_queryset(self):
        queryset = Post.objects.filter(status='published')
        category = self.request.GET.get('category')
        search = self.request.GET.get('search')

        if category:
            queryset = queryset.filter(category__slug=category)
        if search:
            queryset = queryset.filter(
                Q(title__icontains=search) |
                Q(content__icontains=search) |
                Q(excerpt__icontains=search)
            )
        return queryset

    def get_context_data(self, **kwargs):
        context = super().get_context_data(**kwargs)
        context['categories'] = Category.objects.all()
        return context


class PostDetailView(DetailView):
    model = Post
    template_name = 'blog/post_detail.html'
    context_object_name = 'post'

    def get_context_data(self, **kwargs):
        context = super().get_context_data(**kwargs)
        context['comments'] = self.object.comments.filter(is_approved=True)
        context['comment_form'] = CommentForm()
        return context


class PostCreateView(LoginRequiredMixin, CreateView):
    model = Post
    form_class = PostForm
    template_name = 'blog/post_form.html'

    def form_valid(self, form):
        form.instance.author = self.request.user
        messages.success(self.request, 'Post created successfully!')
        return super().form_valid(form)


@login_required
def add_comment(request, post_slug):
    post = get_object_or_404(Post, slug=post_slug)
    if request.method == 'POST':
        form = CommentForm(request.POST)
        if form.is_valid():
            comment = form.save(commit=False)
            comment.post = post
            comment.author = request.user
            comment.save()
            messages.success(request, 'Comment submitted for approval.')
    return redirect('blog:post_detail', slug=post_slug)

Admin Configuration

# blog/admin.py
from django.contrib import admin
from .models import Post, Category, Comment


@admin.register(Category)
class CategoryAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    list_display = ['name', 'slug']
    prepopulated_fields = {'slug': ('name',)}


@admin.register(Post)
class PostAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    list_display = ['title', 'author', 'category', 'status', 'published_at']
    list_filter = ['status', 'category', 'created_at']
    search_fields = ['title', 'content']
    prepopulated_fields = {'slug': ('title',)}
    date_hierarchy = 'published_at'
    ordering = ['-published_at']
    raw_id_fields = ['author']


@admin.register(Comment)
class CommentAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    list_display = ['author', 'post', 'created_at', 'is_approved']
    list_filter = ['is_approved', 'created_at']
    actions = ['approve_comments']

    def approve_comments(self, request, queryset):
        queryset.update(is_approved=True)
    approve_comments.short_description = "Approve selected comments"

URL Configuration

# blog/urls.py
from django.urls import path
from . import views

app_name = 'blog'

urlpatterns = [
    path('', views.PostListView.as_view(), name='post_list'),
    path('post/<slug:slug>/', views.PostDetailView.as_view(), name='post_detail'),
    path('post/new/', views.PostCreateView.as_view(), name='post_create'),
    path('post/<slug:post_slug>/comment/', views.add_comment, name='add_comment'),
]

# myproject/urls.py
from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include
from django.conf import settings
from django.conf.urls.static import static

urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
    path('blog/', include('blog.urls', namespace='blog')),
]

if settings.DEBUG:
    urlpatterns += static(settings.MEDIA_URL, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT)

Templates

<!-- templates/blog/post_list.html -->
{% extends 'base.html' %}

{% block content %}
<div class="container">
    <h1>Blog Posts</h1>

    <!-- Search Form -->
    <form method="get" class="search-form">
        <input type="text" name="search" placeholder="Search posts..." value="{{ request.GET.search }}">
        <button type="submit">Search</button>
    </form>

    <!-- Category Filter -->
    <div class="categories">
        <a href="{% url 'blog:post_list' %}">All</a>
        {% for category in categories %}
        <a href="?category={{ category.slug }}">{{ category.name }}</a>
        {% endfor %}
    </div>

    <!-- Posts Grid -->
    <div class="posts-grid">
        {% for post in posts %}
        <article class="post-card">
            {% if post.featured_image %}
            <img src="{{ post.featured_image.url }}" alt="{{ post.title }}">
            {% endif %}
            <div class="post-content">
                <span class="category">{{ post.category.name }}</span>
                <h2><a href="{{ post.get_absolute_url }}">{{ post.title }}</a></h2>
                <p>{{ post.excerpt|truncatewords:30 }}</p>
                <div class="meta">
                    <span>By {{ post.author.username }}</span>
                    <span>{{ post.published_at|date:"M d, Y" }}</span>
                </div>
            </div>
        </article>
        {% empty %}
        <p>No posts found.</p>
        {% endfor %}
    </div>

    <!-- Pagination -->
    {% if page_obj.has_other_pages %}
    <div class="pagination">
        {% if page_obj.has_previous %}
        <a href="?page={{ page_obj.previous_page_number }}">Previous</a>
        {% endif %}

        <span>Page {{ page_obj.number }} of {{ page_obj.paginator.num_pages }}</span>

        {% if page_obj.has_next %}
        <a href="?page={{ page_obj.next_page_number }}">Next</a>
        {% endif %}
    </div>
    {% endif %}
</div>
{% endblock %}

Conclusion

Django provides everything you need to build web applications quickly and securely. Key takeaways:

1. Use the MTV (Model-Template-View) pattern
2. Leverage the built-in admin interface
3. Use class-based views for common patterns
4. Implement proper authentication and authorization
5. Write tests for your application
6. Deploy with WSGI servers like Gunicorn

Start building and explore Django's extensive documentation for more advanced features!