Crash Course of Django for Beginners: Step-by-Step Guide to Web Development with Python: A Project-Based Approach to Master Python and Django: Learn Full-Stack Web Development from Scratch

What You Will Learn in This Book

• Understand the fundamentals of web development: Differentiate between client-side and server-side, grasp HTTP request-response cycles, and identify common web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Master the Django web framework: Comprehend its architecture (MVT), philosophy, and key features, enabling you to build efficient and structured web applications.
• Set up a professional Django development environment: Install Python, configure virtual environments, and choose appropriate code editors/IDEs, along with a basic introduction to Git for version control.
• Initiate and organize Django projects and apps: Understand the distinction between projects and self-contained apps, properly structure your application, and manage project settings.
• Implement core Django functionalities: Design and manage URL routing, create dynamic views to handle requests, and render content using Django's powerful templating language.
• Manage and persist data with Django's ORM: Define robust data models, configure database connections (including SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL), and perform CRUD operations efficiently using QuerySets.
• Leverage the Django Admin Interface: Quickly set up a powerful backend for data management, customize its appearance, and understand basic security considerations.
• Handle user input effectively with Django Forms: Create and validate forms for data collection, process form submissions, and utilize ModelForms for seamless database interaction.
• Build a complete, functional web application: Apply all learned concepts to develop a real-world example project, integrating various Django components.
• Implement user authentication and authorization: Secure your application with Django's built-in authentication system, manage user logins, registrations, and control access to features.
• Manage static files and media: Efficiently serve CSS, JavaScript, and images, and understand how to handle user-uploaded media files in your Django projects.
• Enhance user experience with basic frontend integration: Apply styling with CSS, and utilize CSS frameworks like Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS to create visually appealing and responsive interfaces.
• Transition to Class-Based Views (CBVs): Understand the advantages of CBVs for code reusability and structure, and learn to implement and customize common generic CBVs.
• Develop robust and reliable applications through testing: Write effective unit tests for your models, views, and forms to ensure code quality and prevent regressions.
• Prepare and deploy your Django application to a production environment: Understand key production settings and learn basic deployment strategies using PaaS solutions like PythonAnywhere.
• Discover advanced Django topics and community resources: Get an overview of concepts like Django REST Framework, caching, and signals, and learn where to find further learning materials and community support.