When and Why We Use Django? Examples with Python and React

If there is one thing software developers agree on, it is that choosing a web development framework is a huge deal. With different frameworks in the market designed to address specific project needs, making a  decision is usually down to more than personal choice.

However, for many top companies and projects across different industries, the Django framework seems the best choice for web development. What is Django used for? Django is a no-brainer for several reasons, one of which is its completeness.

The framework is scalable, secure, and super fast. Besides, not many developers can pass up the chance to leverage the power of Python in getting an app functional in little to no time. From databases to HTML, Django manages everything. 

This article highlights just when and why we use the incredible Django framework. There are also bonus examples of Django with React and Django Pythons, so keep reading.

Introduction To Uses Of Django

Django is a Python open-source web framework for rapid development that makes  it easy to create maintainable, secure, and pragmatic websites with clean designs. 

Django framework’s major goal is to allow developers to focus more on newer components of their app rather than on the developed components. This allows for greater efficiency and better time management during the development process.

The popular framework is also more featured than several other competing frameworks in the web app market. This is because Django handles many issues that allow users time and freedom to focus on developing other components relevant to their application.

To build impressively scalable web apps with an ever-growing audience, Django is the best choice in the developer community. The framework is simple, fast, flexible, and reliable. Besides, its large community helps newbies in whatever way they need assistance. 

If you are after a web development framework that helps get the job done in fewer lines of code, Django is a no-brainer.

Django Overview

Django framework’s creators, a web team, tasked with creating and maintaining newspaper websites, developed it between 2003 and 2005. After building several sites, the team only began factoring out and reusing many designs and common code patterns.

Their common code would evolve to become a generic open-sourced web development framework in July 2005—the Django project. Since its early days of version 1.0, the Django framework has grown and is still constantly improving even in its latest version, 4.0, released in 2022.

With every new release comes bug fixes such as support for new template engines, the addition of generic classes and view functions, caching, database types, and several enhanced functionalities.

All of these make Django an effective tool to work with while reducing the amount of code that web developers are supposed to write for programming tasks. 

Today, Django is a flourishing, versatile, open-source project that fosters the collaborative efforts of thousands of contributors and users while being capable of developing just about any kind of website.  

Why Should You Use Django?

As mentioned, web app frameworks are toolkits for every component required for app development. But when it comes to choosing a language for a new project, many factors come into play for most developers.

Reliability, level of community support, security, simplicity, rapid development, versatility, and time-saving built-in packages are some of the things that determine the choice of the web development framework. 

And since developers are always looking for a framework or language that can offer multiple features and still accomplish most of the requirements, here is why we think you should use Django:

#1. Django is Simple and Fast

Simplicity and ease are two of Django’s biggest endearing traits as a web development framework. Django aims to simplify the developer’s work and to do that effectively; the framework relies on the principle of rapid movement.

This principle hints that developers can do multiple iterations and don’t need to start the whole schedule from the ground up. 

Django also uses the DRY philosophy—Don’t Repeat Yourself—which says that developers can reuse an existing code and concentrate on the peculiar one. These principles mean Django getting the project to the market takes less time.

#2. Django is Secure

Another feature that Django prioritizes that makes it a highly preferred framework is security. Django boasts of one of the best security systems in the market, helping developers avoid common security risks like SQL injection, clickjacking, and cross-site scripting.

As if that isn’t enough, Django is known for its prompt release of new security patches. The popular framework is often the first to respond to existing vulnerabilities while alerting other frameworks.

#3. It is A Framework That Suits Any Web App Project

Why use Django for your next web application project? The framework caters to high-load web applications and simple websites. Django allows developers to tackle projects of different capacities and sizes. Here are some ways it does this:

• Django works with most major databases and permits the use of a database that is more suitable in more than one database at once or a specific project.
• The framework is completely loaded with useful extras and scalable so users can create applications that can withstand heavy traffic and an enormous amount of information.
• Finally, Django is a cross-platform that allows users to base their projects on devices like PC, Mac, or Linux.

#4. Completeness

Completeness is another answer to the question, “Why use Django for your next web application project?” Django is complete, and it complies with the “Batteries included” philosophy. It also provides the tools and relevant things developers might want to do “out of the box.” 

This makes sense because since everything developers need is a component of one product, Django functions smoothly as a whole. It also does this while following consistent design principles, philosophies, and comprehensive documentation to boot.

#5. Scalability

Django is highly scalable and relies on a component-based “shared nothing” architecture—each architecture part is independent of others and is replaceable or adjustable if required.

Having a distinction between the different parts means that Django can scale for increased traffic. How does it do this? It adds hardware at any level, including application servers, caching servers, and database servers. 

Some of the internet’s busiest sites like Disqus and Instagram have used Django to scale successfully to meet rising demand.

#6. Django is Maintainable

We write Django code using the design patterns and key principles that recommend the innovation of maintainable and reusable codes. Django specifically utilizes the Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY) principle to ensure there is no unnecessary duplication that reduces the amount of code.

Meanwhile, Django goes further in promoting the grouping of some related functionality into other reusable applications. Besides, at a lower level, it groups related code into modules, often along the lines of the MVC pattern (Model View Controller).

#7. Portability

Django is written in python, and many Django python examples show that it runs on many platforms. This shows signifies that with Django, you aren’t restricted to any particular server platform. 

You can adequately run your apps on different versions of Windows, macOS, and Linux. Besides, the Django web development framework has enormous support from many web hosting providers who allow specific documentation and infrastructure for hosting a Django site.

#8. Django is A Well-established Framework

Still stuck on the question, “why use Django?” Most developers trust Django because it is a well-established framework, and Django is both crowd and time-tested and has a large but supportive community.

You can access this community via many dedicated websites, channels, and online forums. Users who encounter difficulties with complex functions in their code know that finding help is easy.

Users can expect issues with Django to be fixed as soon as they arise because the software is frequently getting updated and fresh packages to accommodate convenience and remove existing problems. 

And if what you’re after is a developer for your company’s next Django-based project, then the best place to look is the many Django forums and dedicated websites.

When Should You Use Django?

The Django framework encourages rapid development and makes clean, practical design seamless. 

Its purpose is to offer a solid foundation of some basics while permitting developers to concentrate on parts of their site that are unique to whatever project they are working on. 

So when should you use Django? Here are some situations that require the use of the Django web development framework:

#1. Customizable Application

Why use Django over other frameworks when building customizable apps? Well, for a start, it is a great choice if you’re building something that should be highly customizable, like a social media website.

With Django built, users don’t need to bother themselves over reinventing the wheel. Simply allow Django to handle the basics while you concentrate on the unique parts that require modifications and experimenting, like the ability to share different media types or interactions between users.  

Besides, just like Python, Django possesses a solid community-first approach. There are libraries of third-party plugins and extensions readily available for you to customize your application freely.

#2. When You Need Web Applications With Little Code

The “batteries included” approach to programming is a distinctive attribute of Python and Django, making Django a superb choice. Developers who are interested in building robust and modern web apps with minimal coding lean towards Django. The framework is structured and impresses how a user would have done their app building.

#3. When Building a Site That Needs Secure Foundation

Django is a great framework to rely on when building a site that needs a secure and strong foundation to protect sensitive data and transactions. This makes it a no-brainer for e-commerce sites.

The framework obscures your source code by default and is usually one of the first web development frameworks to respond to new vulnerabilities. Asides from that, Django also has a strong model of user authentication.

Its authentication model makes it possible to configure various users while the core team alerts other frameworks of existing patches to boost security. So if cybersecurity is of utmost priority in your project, you need Django.

#4. When You Need Applications to Scale Up in The Future

Sometimes developers create an app or product that starts less-known but with the potential to become more. The promise of scalability makes it difficult for developers to pass up the chance to use Django.

At Django’s core, it is simply a chain of Python components, and since these series of components are inherently separate entities, they do not depend on each other. So you have the freedom to select, choose, replace, and unplug them whenever and however your site needs them.

In essence, developers can build their product up to whatever level of performance they prefer it to be capable of reaching. What’s more, they can do this at any time and without compromising on the website/product’s high level of functionality.

#5. When Developing a Product That Stands No Chance In Becoming a Hit

Some of the top social network platforms started relatively unknown but chose to begin with Django. Using Django allows you to quickly develop your product, especially if it doesn’t have a chance of becoming big.

Startups like Disqus, Pinterest, and Instagram were built using Django, and over the years,  it has helped them prepare and deploy their products. Disqus used Django’s fast development process to grow rapidly and propel itself to millions of users with no issues.

Amid such growth, it was still able to add new features while stimulating users’ interests quickly. Instagram also leveraged Django’s ever contributive community that worked to make Django even faster and better than it already was.

Top 10 Uses of Django

Django is a high-level python-based framework that conveniently allows users to quickly create web apps without requiring rigorous installation and dependency issues linked with other frameworks. What is Django used for? Below we give the top 10 uses of Django.

#1. Application Development

Django has templates, APIS, and libraries that work together, having been developed by the online news operation team to create web apps via Python. So generally, you can upgrade Django applications with minimal changes, additions, and costs. This makes it easier to begin and finish the web development process.

#2. Cross-Platform Apps

Django allows web app developers to leverage its cross-platform nature to support the whole production and development environment for different types of operating systems. It does this while catering to various user devices, a trait necessary in reaching a wider audience. Meanwhile, this also allows the flexibility to run apps against cross-platform devices.

#3. Apps With Multiple User Roles

Developers also use Django when creating or building web app dashboards with multiple user roles. Django offers a comprehensive web administration interface automatically generated for building web apps.

#4. Scalable Web Apps

The Django web development framework is also great for building scalable web applications, and this is because the framework offers full functionalities that programmers consider putting in web applications. Besides, it is easier and relatively stressless to build apps using Django’s components rather than building some custom components.

#5. Cost-Efficient MVP

Django also comes in handy when developers build cost-efficient MVPs by allowing entrepreneurs and startups to quickly turn their creative ideas into a functional proof of concept. Furthermore, it encourages rapid development as users can use the available libraries to reduce development time significantly.

#6. Building Enterprise and SaaS Applications

Django is a framework that allows developers to build faster apps because it supports the async view. For enterprise and SaaS apps, async views can come in handy when sending emails, performing read or write operations, and calling third-party APIs.

#7. For Creating Content Management Systems (CMS)

The Django framework is well-suited for apps that need Content Management Systems. Apps like blogs, newspaper websites, or online magazines that attract heavy traffic will require Django.

#8. Financial Platforms

Django’s security aspects and its useful extensions and libraries combine to make it a good choice for financial platforms. It allows developers to create rich payment solutions with features for calculating results based on risk tolerance, personal data, etc.

#9. Buiding Secure E-commerce Apps

The Django framework also has e-commerce frameworks that have all the features necessary for creating safe e-commerce applications, including scalability, user experience, security, reliability, and robust features. The decision to build an e-commerce marketplace with Django is one of many steps toward handling traffic.

#10. Bookmarking and Social Networking Sites

Why use Django over other frameworks in the market? For some of the most popular social networking sites like YouTube and Instagram, Django is the first choice for a web app development framework. 

Developers can use it for building social networking sites that facilitate communication in a digital environment where multiple user roles and security are greatly prioritized. Here are some applications that rely on the Django framework below:

• YouTube: YouTube is a popular video-sharing that needs little introduction. In its earlier days, it was built on Php, but when the team thought about adding new functionalities and improving performance, they needed a framework change.

YouTube’s continuous rapid audience growth meant it needed a framework that could handle scalability flawlessly and quickly while maintaining speed and implementing new features; Django was a natural choice.

• Instagram: Instagram is the fastest-growing video and photo-sharing application. The popular social network’s first version used Django, and creators didn’t need to effect too many setup changes. 

Instagram users give 4.2 billion likes on videos and pictures and add 95 million photos daily. The Django framework has assisted Instagram in scaling its app, managing a massive number of interactions between users per second, and processing large amounts of data. 

And with solutions readily available for implementation, the Instagram team has focused on the UI and UX of the application and is not worried about the backend.

• Spotify: Global music streaming application, Spotify revolutionized the way mobile phone users buy, share, and listen to music. Spotify boasts a massive library that users can access everywhere and with any device.

This library has an enormous amount of data which can be tedious for other frameworks but not Django. Spotify uses Python and Django to handle the large data while also choosing Django for its machine learning options and quick backend.

So to offer Spotify users some customized and automatically-generated playlists, the streaming platform leverages machine learning with Python.

• Pinterest: Like Spotify, users of Pinterest use it to find things, but instead of music, they look for ideas like style inspiration, recipes, and fashion. The platform has more than 250 million monthly active users globally. 

This means that the Pinterest website handles a heavy load of users but to boost and maintain excellent performance, it uses Django. Why? Because Django offers the unrivaled ability to scale effortlessly without tampering with speed. 

If you have followed users on Pinterest or shared pins and boards on the platform, you have Django to thank for helping developers manage the website.

Django With Python (And Examples)

Django framework is built with Python. With the rising popularity of Python, Django has quickly become the top framework for several Python development companies. Since Django is Python-built, it acquires some of the key benefits of the popular programming language.

For instance, Django is easy to use and read and ideal for machine learning. Python is also simple to master and learn, and most developers learn it before other languages. Plenty of tech companies like Google rely on Python for their tech stack.

Another benefit that Django inherits from Python is the brilliant and useful libraries from the Python community, some of which include the CMS-focused framework useful for website content management and the Django REST framework used in creating Application Programming Interfaces.

Django With Reactx

React is a framework of JavaScript for developing single-page applications. The framework has a large developer community, strong documentation, and a robust ecosystem useful in building user interface components. 

Django simplifies some of the common web development practices but also works well with Reactx. Here are some reasons developers integrate Django with React:

• Both have great and ever-growing community support that makes support readily available when issues arise.
• React has an impressive SPA optimization that combines well with Django’s solid features.
• Both Django and Reactx are the most well-known frameworks and libraries and are impressive in their domains.

There are also some benefits to connecting React with Django if you decide to use them separately on a project. Here are some benefits of using Django and React:  

• This combo can build multiple scalable client applications, whether mobile or web. Also, all the clients will consume similar APIs that the back-end side offers.
• Simple to deploy the back-end or the front-end parts without redeploying the other.
• Suppose different teams are working in the back-end and front-end; they don’t have to worry about another part because both get to work independently.
• There is also the advantage of smoothing the user experience with fewer perceived transitions and fewer loading times. 
• Clearer, smoother, and cleaner interface between back-end and front-end functions and logic.

Conclusion

The Django web framework helps developers build applications fast, finishing within days. It offers users loads of features with a built-in administration interface that makes using it super easy and smooth.

These make Django a top choice for most of the widely used sites on the web, including Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. The fact it came from publishing makes it an even better choice for platforms like Smithsonian and The Washington Post.

Considering what Django is used for, how Django with React works, and Django Python examples, it is evident that Django brings balance between architecture, security, scalability, performance, development, and effort—thinking of starting a project from scratch? We’d recommend trying Django.