Create a Django Web App From Scratch

How to Create a Django Web App

Creating a Django application from scratch is an essential skill for web developers, especially given Django’s growing popularity as a high-level Python framework for building robust web applications.

According to various developer surveys, Django consistently ranks among the top choices for developers, with many modern web applications built using Django due to its simplicity, scalability, and powerful built-in features.

But here’s the truth: creating a Django application doesn’t have to be complicated. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to build a Django app from scratch using modern tools.

What is a Django Web App?

Django is a popular Python framework designed to enable rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Django applications are known for their efficiency, security, and ability to scale, making them suitable for both simple projects and complex enterprise applications.

Django focuses on the back end, but it can be easily integrated with front-end technologies such as React or Vue.js to create full-stack applications. Django’s Model-View-Template (MVT) architecture helps development by separating concerns and allowing for clean, organized code.

Django Web Apps: Required Tools and Frameworks

Django’s strength lies in its batteries-included philosophy, meaning many essential components like authentication, ORM (Object-Relational Mapping), and admin panels are built in.

This makes Django an excellent choice for developers who want to focus on writing features without worrying about reinventing basic functionality.

For database management, Django uses its ORM to interact with databases such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQLite. This simplifies complex SQL queries and provides an abstract way to handle database operations.

When it comes to templating, Django’s template engine allows developers to create dynamic HTML pages with minimal effort. To handle URL routing, Django provides a powerful URL dispatcher that enables clean and readable URL patterns for the application.

Additional tools, such as Django REST Framework (DRF), extend Django’s capabilities for creating APIs, making it easy to integrate with front-end technologies or mobile apps.

However, there are certain scenarios or perspectives where Django might not be the ideal choice.

Django has a steep learning curve for beginners. Its “batteries-included” approach means there’s a lot to learn upfront. Also Django’s all-in-one nature can be overkill for simple projects. It might feel heavy for small applications that don’t need all its features.

Further, Django has a specific way of doing things. This can be limiting if you prefer more flexibility in your project structure. Applications can be more complex to deploy compared to some lighter frameworks, especially for developers new to web deployment.

Five: The Fastest Way to Build a Web App for Django Developers

Five offers Django developers an incredibly efficient way to build web applications, providing an alternative for those looking to speed up development without sacrificing control or flexibility.

As a rapid application development environment, Five eliminates much of the repetitive work involved in web app creation, particularly when it comes to integrating with back-end data sources and managing complex functionalities.

One of the most compelling features of Five is its ability to auto-generate fully responsive interfaces connected to almost any data source.

Whether you’re working with databases or APIs, Five simplifies back-end integration, allowing developers to stay focused on the front-end user experience.

Five also includes a built-in MySQL database modeler, enabling you to design and manage your database schema directly within the platform.

For developers needing to connect external services, Five’s connection wizard makes it easy to integrate REST APIs or external databases, saving time and effort. This is particularly useful for full-stack projects requiring robust data management and fast, reliable integration capabilities.

On the front end, Five provides form, chart, and report wizards that allow you to quickly create intuitive components for data collection and visualization.

One of the most valuable features of Five is its single-click deployment capability, allowing you to go from development to launch in a few clicks. Everything is done within your browser, with no need for additional external tools or installations.

Rapidly Develop a Web App
Create Feature-Rich Responsive Web Apps with Five

Web App Tutorial: Build and Deploy a Django Web App

In this web app tutorial, you will learn step-by-step how to create a fully functional web app using Five. Whether you are starting from scratch or integrating with an existing project, this guide will walk you through everything you need to build a web app in no time.

Here’s what you’ll achieve by the end of this tutorial:

Database Creation:
We’ll start by creating a database from scratch using Five’s built-in MySQL modeler, so you can manage and structure your data with ease.

Auto-Generated Admin Panel:
With your database ready, you’ll instantly generate an admin panel with features like forms for data collection, interactive charts for visualization, and a PDF report generator.

User Management & Authentication:
Learn how to add user management and authentication features to control access to your admin panel.

Third-Party Integration:
Finally, you will integrate your admin panel with external services like Slack, giving your application the ability to send real-time notifications and alerts.

If you prefer written, step-by-step instructions for this web app tutorial, visit our code-along article here.

What Developers Say About Five

Here is what developers say about Five:

“Five is a great product for building admin panels or CRUD applications. It is easy to use, scalable and has great customer support. I highly recommend Five to anyone who needs to build a web application without much effort.” – Shweta Kale, Software Developer

“Five took away a lot of headaches of frontend development by providing a highly customizable UI and navbar alongside a MySQL database.” – Nebiyu Elias, Software Engineer

“Five is an excellent approach to that disconnect between relational database development and the web.” – Crag Jones

“With Five, we were able to very quickly develop a prototype of the solution we had in mind. We liked the fact that inside Five, we can work in no code, low code, or even full code, which gives us full flexibility to design software applications.” – Kurt Bornhutter, Group Manager, Revenue & Optimisation, Canstar

“Five is a rapid, robust way to take spreadsheet-based business processes, and replace them with better validated forms for data collection, and approval workflows. Five makes it easy to write custom functions, and perform traditional integrations, using JavaScript.” – Philip Antrobus, Data & AI Capability Lead, NCS Australia

Create a Django Web App Tutorial

This Django tutorial introduces beginners to the foundational concepts of building a Django web application in just 20 minutes. It walks through key steps and techniques necessary to set up a Django project, work with URLs, create models, and display dynamic data with templates. The video covers the following:

Setting Up a Django Project – Learn how to set up a new Django project, install Django, and generate project files like settings.py, urls.py, and manage.py.

Creating a Django App – Explains how to create standalone Django apps that include database models, views, and templates, and how to integrate them into a project by modifying settings.py.

URL Routing – Shows how to configure URL patterns in Django using urls.py, linking paths to specific views, and how to organize URL routing for multiple apps within a project.

Creating Views – Introduces creating views in Django that handle HTTP requests and return responses, such as displaying “Hello World” using HttpResponse or rendering HTML templates.

Templates and Rendering Dynamic Content – Walks through creating reusable HTML templates using Django’s templating engine, with examples of how to override blocks of content and display dynamic data from views.

Working with Databases – Demonstrates how to define database models in models.py, create database migrations, and use Django’s ORM (Object Relational Mapping) to interact with databases using Python code.

Admin Panel Configuration – Explains how to set up and access Django’s built-in admin panel, create a superuser, and register models to be viewed and managed within the admin interface.

CRUD Operations on Models – Shows how to create and retrieve items in the database using the admin panel, and how to display a list of these items dynamically in the browser through views and templates.

This tutorial provides an accelerated overview of Django, focusing on practical implementation without delving too deeply into advanced concepts. It’s great for those looking for a fast start on Django web development.

Conclusion: Build a Django Web App

This tutorial demonstrates that building a Django web app can be straightforward and efficient, especially with Django’s tools and features like its ORM, templating system, and built-in admin interface.

For developers seeking to improve both front-end and back-end development, platforms like Five provide an excellent solution for quickly building and deploying web applications, offering features that help database management, user authentication, and other essential functionalities.