Ask HN: How to Learn Django in 2023?

11 points by eddsh1994 3y ago ↗ HN

Hey! I've been using Python on and off for years and would like to learn Django but I'm not sure what guides are up to date or useful. Any suggestions? Bonus points if it's directly related to using Django in a startup environments akin to https://alexkrupp.typepad.com/sensemaking/2021/06/django-for-startup-founders-a-better-software-architecture-for-saas-startups-and-consumer-apps.html :)

9 comments

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nigamanth 3y ago ↗

Just read the documentation, it's a fairly simple library - however it has a lot of potential. Make sure you understand Python though.

jventura 3y ago ↗

Do the "Poll's app" from their tutorial [0]. It's quite basic comparing to bigger app but it covers enough of the necessary content to get your started.

[0] https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.1/intro/

superdeeda 3y ago ↗

I enjoyed "Two Scoops of Django": https://www.feldroy.com/books/two-scoops-of-django-3-x

rlawson 3y ago ↗

Will Vincent's books are great to get you started and productive. Django is a very deep framework though so expect to keep learning for a while

https://wsvincent.com/books/

satya71 3y ago ↗

Will Vincent has a series of books for Django. I recommend Django for Beginners as a start. Two Scoops and Django for Professionals are great after you have a few projects under your belt.

https://wsvincent.com/books/

[deleted] 3y ago ↗

(comment deleted)

f0e4c2f7 3y ago ↗

Lately I've actually been finding a good place to start on new languages is talking to ChatGpt. You can ask really naive questions and get a lay of the land for the language or framework. You can even ask questions like (I know how to do X in Y framework, how would I do it in Django).

You can also use it to build your first hello world to get up and running a little faster.

After I would reccomend shoring up / confirming your knowledge with more traditional tutorials but I've found ChatGpt great for those early moments of learning.

matthewn 3y ago ↗

As others have said, Will Vincent's books are excellent. I also like Mastering Django a great deal; it is extremely comprehensive: https://masteringdjango.com/

Scarbutt 3y ago ↗

I would recommend full stack Javascript instead, you are going to need JS in the browser anyway.