Objective: Gain comprehensive understanding of Django, from basics to advanced concepts, to build production-grade backends for web and mobile apps using Python and Django.
Instructor: Mosh Hamedani, founder of CodeWithMosh.com
Target Audience: Individuals who know basics of Python, object-oriented programming (classes, inheritance, polymorphism), and relational databases.
Course Requirements
Prerequisites:
Python basics and object-oriented programming concepts
Familiarity with relational databases (tables, columns, primary/foreign keys, relationships)
Optional supplementary tutorials on YouTube (CodeWithMosh) and CodeWithMosh.com
Course Instructions:
Watch entire course from start to end
Take notes, write keywords, review and practice after each lesson
Complete exercises to reinforce learning
Introduction to Django
Overview: A free, open-source framework for building web applications with Python
Key Features:
Admin interface for data management
Object Relational Mapper (ORM) for database abstraction
Authentication package
Data caching package
Popularity: Used by major companies like YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Dropbox
Comparison with Other Frameworks:
Maturity and stability, size of the community, learning curve
Optional use of Django’s various features
Django has a huge community and many packages for reuse
Developer Salary: Average of $117,000/year in the US
Fundamental Concepts of Web Development
Backend & Frontend:
Frontend: Loaded in web browser, user interacts with it
Backend: Runs on web server, processes data, validates business rules
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol): Protocol defining client-server communication
URL (Uniform Resource Locator): Address used to locate a resource (web page, image, video, etc.) over the internet
Setting Up the Development Environment
Upgrading Python: Download the latest version from Python.org
Tools:
Pipenv: Manage dependencies in virtual environments
Visual Studio Code (VS Code): Recommended editor with Python extension for features like IntelliSense, debugging
Creating a Django Project:
Use django-admin to start a new project
Example directory structure and explanation of various files (settings, urls, etc.)
Virtual Environment: Managed via Pipenv, crucial for dependency management
Basic Django Project Execution
Running the Development Server:
Use python manage.py runserver to start server
Access project in a web browser at default port 8000 or specified port
Debugging in Django and VS Code
Debugging Tools: Django Debug Toolbar
**Key Steps for Debugging: **
Setting breakpoints in code
Using VS Code’s integrated terminal for easier debugging
Run specific URL patterns using urls.py in both the app and project directories
Building a Data Model
Concepts Covered:
Data modeling, identifying entities, attributes, and relationships
Fundamental entities in an e-commerce application: Product, Collection, Cart, Customer, Order, Tag
Design of relational models and relationships between entities (one-to-many, many-to-many)
Organizing Models into Apps:
Importance of cohesion and minimizing coupling
Appropriate ways to split entities into apps, resulting in self-contained and reusable apps
Creating Model Classes for Apps in Django
Steps:
Identify and define model classes for each app (Store and Tags in this example)
Register each app in the list of installed apps in the settings module
Summary
Course Scope: Response request handling, view functions, using templates, rendering HTML content, debugging
Objective: Build a solid foundation for developing sophisticated Django applications
Call to Action
Full Course: Access available on CodeWithMosh.com for deeper learning, additional tutorials, exercises, and practical projects