Build six real-world Django websites from scratch with authentication, content management systems, tests, permissions, and production-ready deployment.

Django for Beginners is the fifth edition of the leading guide to building real-world web applications with Python. It takes a practical approach, introducing concepts through six projects designed to simulate real-world scenarios. From a Hello World website to a message board application, a blogging platform, and a newspaper CRM, you'll learn about Django's architecture and how to add new functionality step-by-step. Coverage includes best practices, enhanced testing, and a detailed deployment guide to ensure you're ready for real-world web development challenges.

• Updated for Django 5 and Python 3.12
• Master Django fundamentals, including models, ORM, views, templates, URLs, settings, forms, and authentication
• Deploy your website into production and toggle between local and production environments seamlessly
• Write robust tests and utilize environment variables for enhanced security
• Implement custom authentication: signup, login, logout, password change, and password reset
• Integrate powerful third-party Django packages to improve key functionality

New to this edition: This fifth edition is completely revised to reflect the latest Django release and current best practices. New and updated coverage includes function and class-based views, a Company Website project to cover templates and template contexts in depth, an updated deployment guide, and the latest versions of all third-party Django packages.

Reviews

"The perfect introduction to the Django web framework."—CARLTON GIBSON, Django Fellow and Django REST Framework co-maintainer

"My go-to recommendation whenever anyone asks how to learn Django. If you are looking for one book to master Django, this is it!"—Anna Makarudze, Django Software Foundation President

"When readers interested in web development ask me what to read next, I refer them to Django for Beginners. I highly recommend you check out this book!" —Eric Matthes, author of Python Crash Course

"A fantastic on-ramp to this brilliant web framework, Django for Beginners doesn't just talk about building websites with Django; it walks you through six of them. Get in the reps!" —Adam Johnson, Django Steering Council member

"A masterful step-by-step guide to Django covering all the fundamentals, testing, and deployment." —Jeff Triplett, Python Software Foundation Director and REVSYS Partner

Django for APIs is a project-based guide to building modern web APIs with Django & Django REST Framework. It is suitable for beginners who have never built an API before as well as professional programmers looking for a fast-paced introduction to Django fundamentals and best practices.

Over the course of 200+ pages you'll learn how to set up a new project properly, how web APIs work under the hood, and advanced testing and deployment techniques. Three separate projects are built from scratch with progressively more advanced features including a Library API, Todo API, and Blog API. User authentication, permissions, documentation, viewsets, and routers are all covered thoroughly.

Django for APIs is a best-practices guide to building powerful Python-based web APIs with a minimal amount of code.

Reviews

"If you’re looking for a guide into the world of Django, then the three-step of Django for Beginners, Django for APIs, and Django for Professionals is ideal: get up and running, get into APIs, which are a cornerstone of modern app development, and then add the bits you need to your fledging app into production, from databases and static files, to user accounts and security. It’s a long road. Will’s books are an awesome companion."—CARLTON GIBSON, Django Fellow and Django REST Framework core contributor

"When readers interested in web development ask me what to read next after Python Crash Course, I refer them to Will's books: Django for Beginners, Django for APIs, and Django for Professionals. I highly recommend you check out his work."—ERIC MATTHES, author of Python Crash Course

"Will's books are a fantastic resource for web development with Django and Python. I highly recommended them.”—JEFF TRIPLETT, Python Software Foundation Director, DEFNA President, and REVSYS Partner

Once you have learned the basics of Django there is a massive gap between building simple "toy apps" and what it takes to build a "production-ready" web application suitable for deployment to thousands or even millions of users.

In the book you’ll learn how to:

• Build a Bookstore website from scratch
• Use Docker and PostgreSQL locally to mimic production settings
• Implement advanced user registration with email
• Customize permissions to control user access
• Write comprehensive tests
• Adopt advanced security and performance improvements
• Add search and file/image uploads
• Deploy with confidence

If you want to take advantage of all that Django has to offer, Django for Professionals is a comprehensive best practices guide to building and deploying modern websites.

Reviews

"If you’re looking for a guide into the world of Django, then the three-step of Django for Beginners, Django for APIs, and Django for Professionals is ideal: get up and running, get into APIs, which are a cornerstone of modern app development, and then add the bits you need to your fledging app into production, from databases and static files, to user accounts and security. It’s a long road. Will’s books are an awesome companion."—CARLTON GIBSON, Django Fellow and Django REST Framework core contributor

"When readers interested in web development ask me what to read next after Python Crash Course, I refer them to Will's books: Django for Beginners, Django for APIs, and Django for Professionals. I highly recommend you check out his work."—ERIC MATTHES, author of Python Crash Course

"Will's books are a fantastic resource for web development with Django and Python. I highly recommended them.”—JEFF TRIPLETT, Python Software Foundation Director, DEFNA President, and REVSYS Partner