So you’ve heard abut Django and everything you’ve heard is good; but what is Django? In short, it is a Python-based web-development platform. It’s strengths are that it is designed for rapid deployment and a clean design. What is meant by rapid deployment is just that: Once you’ve become comfortable with Django, it is possible to go from a raw framework to working site in an hour.
Clean design is based on the concept of DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself). It reuses coding rather than rewriting code in many places. Django is not a content management system, but a framework within which a CMS works. Still, you first need to learn it and nothing does that better that some good, old-fashioned tutorials.
1. Django Project Documentation
Djangoproject.com is a great place to start with loads of info and a nice four part tutorial to get you writing your first Django app. Not only does it provide information, there are links within the first part to forums where you can receive additional help if needed.
2. Django Rocks Tutorials
This site needs more material, but it does have a couple of tutorials to get you started as well. One is setting up a server to run Django, the other is how to set up a simple blog site using Django. A nice introduction with some decent snippets of information on other pages as well.
3. Webmonkey: Get Started With Django
Here is another “getting started with Django” site. This one has a six part tutorial that ends with building a microblog application. Webmonkey has been around for some time, so the writers there have a pretty good grasp on the various platforms and languages. Always a decent place to start.
4. ShowMeDo: Create a Wiki in 20 Minutes
Showmedo.com is a video tutorial site. That’s perfect for those of us who have a tough time comprehending the reading material and an easier time when we see how it is done. This particular video tutorial is all about how to build a wiki in 20 minutes.
5. Brenelz: A Detailed Django Tutorial
Again, a four part tutorial that teaches one how to create a basic blog site using Django. This one goes into some detail and explanation which makes comprehension easier. The author is a web development company in Canada.
6. ShowMeDo: Using Amazon’s S3 Service With Django
This video tutorial is something a little different from the “blog” tutorials so prevalent on the web. In this one, the gist is to use Django to build a gallery application using Amazon’s S3 service for the photo storage, thus saving you space on your own server.
7. Jeff Croft: The Power of Inheritance
Although this tutorial was written in 2006, like many programming tutorials, it has not lost its usefulness. Jeff Croft uses this tutorial to teach about creating and using templates within a Django framework. Templates can save a ton of time and that is what Django is all about. That makes this a must-read tutorial.
8. Django-Python: Favorite Django Tips
Sometimes a tutorial raises a few questions. They breeze through a subject, but understanding the “why” of it or how to better use the information provided is neglected. Here are a few tutorials that are designed to answer specific questions in the workflow process.
9. Zabada: Django Quick Start
Here is yet another beginner tutorial. One the advantages of learning from several tutorials, even if they all do the same thing, is that each author brings his own unique viewpoint to the table. The more views you see, the clearer those little tricks and shortcuts the authors use become.
10. Blixtra: Top 30 Django Tutorials and Articles
Here is a whole host of tutorials covering simple processes in the framework design. Like the django-python.com tutorials, these often address specific questions or processes needed in the design flow. A recommended stop on your tutorial journey – especially if you get stuck or have specific needs that the current tutorial you are working on does not address.
Getting started is often the hardest thing to get. Getting the help you need to get started can, sometimes, be harder than the “getting started” itself. These tutorials will take you from installation to writing actual, working applications using Django. Now, have some fun!
There’s also a nice series of posts/screencasts called “Django from the ground up” that was featured on This Week in Django a while back: http://thisweekindjango.com/screencasts/episode/10/django-ground-episodes-1-and-2/
Hi Cody, thanks for sharing another useful django tutorials