Python Django – The Practical Guide Course Syllabus

A practical, project-driven Django course that takes you from setup to deployment, perfect for building robust web apps and RESTful APIs in Python. This course spans approximately 6 hours of content, structured into eight comprehensive modules that guide you through Django fundamentals, REST API development, and real-world deployment workflows. Each module combines theory with hands-on coding, ensuring you build a production-ready application by the end.

Module 1: Django Setup & Project Bootstrapping

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Installing Python, pip, and virtualenv
• Creating and configuring a virtual environment
• Starting a new Django project using the Django CLI
• Configuring settings.py and setting up the admin interface

Module 2: Models & Database Migrations

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Defining models with fields and relationships
• Understanding One-to-Many and Many-to-Many relationships
• Running makemigrations and migrate commands
• Using the Django shell for CRUD operations

Module 3: Views, URLs & Templates

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Writing function-based views and class-based views
• Mapping URLs to views using url patterns
• Rendering templates with dynamic context data
• Implementing template inheritance and base templates

Module 4: Forms & Validation

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Creating Django forms and model forms
• Handling form submission and validation errors
• Implementing CSRF protection in forms
• Saving validated form data to the database

Module 5: User Authentication & Authorization

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Using Django’s built-in authentication system
• Implementing user registration, login, and logout
• Setting up password reset functionality
• Restricting views with @login_required and permission mixins

Module 6: Django REST Framework Essentials

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Serializing data with Django REST Framework serializers
• Creating APIs using ModelViewSet
• Setting up automatic URL routing with Routers
• Implementing Token and Session authentication
• Applying permission classes to secure API endpoints

Module 7: Testing & Best Practices

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Writing unit tests for models and views
• Testing APIs using Django’s test client
• Organizing code for maintainability
• Managing settings modules and environment-specific configurations

Module 8: Deployment & Maintenance

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Configuring Gunicorn for production
• Setting up Nginx as a reverse proxy
• Managing static and media files with collectstatic
• Securing the app by setting DEBUG=False

Prerequisites

• Basic knowledge of Python programming
• Familiarity with HTML and web fundamentals
• Understanding of fundamental programming concepts (variables, loops, functions)

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Install and configure Django projects from scratch
• Build dynamic web applications using the MTV architecture
• Create and manage data models with Django ORM
• Develop secure, RESTful APIs with Django REST Framework
• Deploy a Django application to production with Gunicorn and Nginx