“Actions speak louder than words”. Isn’t this quote accurate in the tech world, where our practical knowledge has more weight than theoretical knowledge? You may have a first-class software engineering degree with a university rank or a professional certificate in Python programming. But do you know how to put your skills to use?
As important as your resume building may be, building a strong portfolio consisting of projects from whichever domain you are interested in, is very crucial. This helps you to flex your skills and demonstrate them to your potential recruiters. Your projects may be beginner-friendly at first, but making a start would help you understand the niche of projects and portfolio building. This helps you to build advanced projects too, thus tailoring your skills according to industrial standards. In this blog post, we shall have a look at a few ideas for Django Projects, from beginner to advanced levels. The following areas would be covered in this blog:
- Django Projects Ideas
- Django Projects For Beginners
- 1. Registration and login system
- 2. Calculator Application
- 3. Text to HTML converter
- 4. Calorie tracker
- 5. Email sender
- Intermediate Django Projects
- 6. Chat application
- 7. Music player application
- 8. Weather Prediction Application
- 9. Resume Builder
- 10. Quiz Application
- Advance Level Projects
- Django Projects: Why are they so Important?
- Conclusion
- FAQs
- Q.1: Is Django good for big projects?
- Q.2: Is Django hard for beginners?
- Q.3: Is Django good for web development?
- Q.4: Is Django good for small projects?
- Q.5: What are the alternatives to Django?
- Additional Resources
Let us start by understanding what Django is in the first place. Django is a high-level Python web framework. It helps us to develop secure and manageable websites, without building things from scratch. Django is an open-source framework with great technical features such as simple syntax, its web server, Model-View_controller architecture, Object-Relational-Mapper, HTTP libraries, middleware support, python unit test framework, etc. It also provides a dynamic interface that helps to view, change, and search information. Django is secure, simple, scalable, and well-established. Companies such as Instagram, Spotify, Pinterest, Reddit, etc have Django in their technology stack! Aren’t these well-established companies themselves successful products of Django projects?
Now that we have understood what Django is, let us dive into the ideas for Django projects.
Django Projects Ideas
Working on Django projects requires strong fundamental knowledge and expertise in Python language. You would also require basic knowledge about web development so that you can give your ideas a proper structure. A Django project can be enhanced with your knowledge of front-end technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as it also helps you understand the Django templates better. For a beginner, it is recommended to start with simple Django projects first to get a hang of the framework. Beginners can work on small changes such as the colors, texts, fonts, etc, and also keep existing websites as a reference. If you’re still not sure about writing your source code, you can always keep a reference!
Here are a few ideas for Python Django projects for beginners to experts.
Django Projects For Beginners
1. Registration and login system
Almost every website would require a login system. A registration and login system would be the basic CTA for a website that you can try building using Django. The registration page would include fields such as the mail-id or phone number, the username(optional), new password and a remember me checkbox. The user can sign up with their mail-id or phone number and set a password according to the guidelines. The profile is activated via an activation code which is mailed to the user.
Later, the login page displays fields to enter the username/mail-id/phone number and password. The user can then click on the login button to log into the website.
Additionally, you can also implement a password reset mechanism.
Technology stack
- Python – Django
- HTML
- JavaScript
Source code: Github
2. Calculator Application
A simple calculator to perform basic arithmetic operations is a good project idea. The calculator consists of an interface to key in the numbers, erase the numbers or delete the whole result. In this calculator, we can include operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Technology stack
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Python- Django
Source code: Calculator
3. Text to HTML converter
One of the simple Django projects ideas would include a text to HTML converter. You can create an interface where you can enter text or upload documents, and it gets converted to clean HTML code. This application can make your HTML coding easier and save time.
Technology stack
- HTML
- JavaScript
- CSS
- Python – Django
Source code: Text to HTML
4. Calorie tracker
Digital healthcare solutions are a necessity in today’s world, starting from water trackers, calorie trackers to pedometers. So, why not build a simple calorie tracker as a part of your python Django projects compilation!
You can create a web app that tracks calorie intakes based on the user’s inputs. The app can display the breakdown of the nutrients for the day along with the calorie goals.
Technology stack
- HTML
- CSS
- BootStrap
- Javascript
- Python- Django
Source code: Calorie Tracker
5. Email sender
Emails have become the medium of professional communication, but have we ever wondered how the process takes place? The email mechanism is simple enough to be implemented in Django projects as the framework features a mail function for the same. Django can be used to set up an email system using the Gmail SMTP. This project can be done without the frontend part also, as it is pretty simple.
Technology stack
- Python- Django
- HTML
Source code: Email Sender
Intermediate Django Projects
6. Chat application
We use chat applications like Whatsapp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Snapchat, Discord, iMessage, etc in our daily lives, so why not create one ourselves?
You can create a simple chat application using Django. The chat application can be a small person-to-person message application, which uses REST API and WebSockets for notifications and avoiding polling. The app can display the last 10-15 messages which the user switches between the chats. This may seem to be a smaller number, but it can work for a newbie Django projects developer!
Technology stack
- HTML
- JavaScript
- Python – Django
Source code: Chat App
7. Music player application
You can create a music player application that can play music from your device libraries or online sources using Django. The application can include features of a standard music application like play next, repeat, pause, stop, etc. You will need to use external APIs for this project in case you include music from online sources.
Technology stack
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Python- Django
- SQLite 3
Source code: Music App
8. Weather Prediction Application
You can create a Django project which can predict weather details like cloud cover, rain, snow, wind speed, and temperature dynamically. The application can include features to view weather insights for a particular location and also the live location. Since you may not have a proper dataset for weather predictions, you can make use of APIs available on the internet for the same.
Technology stack
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Python- Django
- SQL
Source code: Weather Prediction
9. Resume Builder
Haven’t we all used a resume builder at least once in our lives? It makes the designing part easier and allows us to focus on our content and of course, our skills and projects. We can create a resume builder with the help of Django. The idea behind such Django projects is to help the user enter their content such as name, skills, work experience, certifications, websites, etc in a form. Later the data is converted into a professional resume design. The user can choose from one or more templates according to their preference.
Technology stack
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- BootStrap
- Python-Django
Source code: Resume Builder
10. Quiz Application
How many times have you played a fun quiz on “ Which garlic bread am I?” on the Buzzfeed quiz website? Have you ever wondered how the backend of such quiz apps/websites work? You can create your quiz app using Django.
The app can include features of a standard quiz application such as sign-up and login, creating new quizzes or choosing from the existing ones, timers, and themes for the quiz, dashboards for corresponding users or global users. This comes under poll-based Django projects and is suitable for people with intermediate-level knowledge in Django and other frontend languages.
Technology stack
BootStrap4 library(you can choose other frontend technologies too)
Python – Django
Source code: Quiz Application
Advance Level Projects
11. E-commerce Website
The pandemic has spiked up the popularity of e-commerce websites and learning how to build one at the early stage of your career, bulks up your resume for a great career as a web developer. You can take inspiration from popular e-commerce websites such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, etc. An e-commerce website should include the following features, which you can implement using the Django framework, along with external APIs:
- Customer logins – the website should always feature a signup/login portal for the users as the basic CTA.
- Product filtration and search – the users must be able to search for products based on the names, brands, regions, etc. The portal should contain a filter that helps to display products based on the user’s preferences such as price, region, brand, availability, time of delivery, etc.
- Shopping cart- the portal should include a repository where the user can view the products which they clicked for purchase. This portal should lead to the payment gateways, thus confirming the purchase. The user should be able to add and remove products in this portal also.
- Wishlist- what if your user wants a product, but doesn’t plan to purchase it at the moment? Well, that’s what we have the wishlist for. Here, the users must be able to add their favorite products, which are either out of stock or in stock also. Later, the user can be notified if the product is back in stock or if there’s a special discount applied.
- Reviews and ratings- the user should always be able to have a look at the reviews and ratings of the products so that they can decide better. The reviews can also be filtered based on parameters like the number of rating stars, area of review, location, etc.
- Tracking of shipments- the user should be well informed about the shipping and delivery status of the product, this can include milestones such as product handed over to delivery executive from the warehouse, product out for delivery, etc.
- Frequently asked questions – even if your website has crystal clear information, the user will always have doubts. So make sure to include a FAQ section for the products and your website in general
Technology stack
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- BootStrap
- Python – Django
- Node.js
- React.js
Source code: E-commerce Website
12. Audio and Video Chat Applications
We had suggested a chat application in the ideas for intermediate-level Django projects. Why not take it to the next level by integrating video and audio calls features to the same! We can create a video and audio call application by using WebRT, Twilio, or other third-party frameworks in your Django projects. This Django project will help you understand the connections behind video and audio streaming. The video and audio chat application must include the following features:
Registration and profile management – the user must be able to sign up/sign in to the application based on their credentials such as email id, phone number, etc. A feature to include multiple profiles and switching should be provided.
Contact synchronization- the user must be given the option to synchronize their contacts with the application if they want to do so.
Security measures – the user may exchange personal and confidential information in their calls. So the application must include end-to-end encryption so that third parties do not have access to the data.
Text chats – even if the application supports video calls, the text chat feature should be enabled. This helps the user share important files, notes, messages, or just have a chat in case their audio quality drops!
Technology stack
- React, React Native
- Python – Django
- MML(Message Markup Language)
- Firebase and WebSockets
Source code: Audio and Video Chat Applications
13. News Aggregator Application
A news aggregator is an application that integrates multiple web crawlers to collect and display news from various online sources. This can be a great idea for your Django projects. Here are the following features which you can include in your news app Django projects:
Customized news viewing – the user can choose which type of news they want to see in their feed by applying filters on location, language, type of news, etc. The user must be able to discover more channels and add the same. Based on their views and preferences, the app must suggest similar articles, to keep the user engagement going.
Share and report – The user must be able to share the news via external apps such as Whatsapp, Twitter, Telegram, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, etc. also a feature to report inappropriate articles must be implemented.
Analytics – the publisher should also be able to view the traffic generated for their website from the particular news app. This can be done by integrating any analytics software with the application.
Comment section – the users must be able to react and comment on the news articles. This helps the company to decide which type of news their audience prefers the most and work accordingly.
Technology stack
- Libraries such as BeautifulSoup, Django, requests module
- Front-end technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, React Native
Source code: News Aggregator Application
14. Location-Based Web App
We can create location-based web apps in Django by using its sub-framework known as GeoDjango. You can keep it real-time or non-real-time according to your preference. You can start by creating location-based Django projects based on your nearby shops. This application would list the nearby shops closer to the user’s location. While we build the basic web application from scratch using Django, GeoDjango can be used to implement geolocation features in your application. The application can include the following features:
Search bar – the user must be able to key in their location, in case the live location isn’t accurate.
Responsive Graphics – the Graphical User Interface of the app must be extremely responsive. This is slightly challenging as it is difficult to heat map the user’s interaction with the map. But hey, you can give it a shot!
Security – the app must be compliant with the security standards as it is revealing personal information.
Permission popups – the app must always ask the user’s permission to collect location details to ensure that their privacy isn’t compromised. Sometimes, the user may want to search without revealing their live location, so the app must be compatible with that too.
Technology stack
- Front end development technologies such as React.js, React Native, etc
- Python- Django and GeoDjango
- Spatial databases such as PostgreSQL and PostGIS
Source code: Location-Based Web App
15. Open Source Job Portal
Every one of us is a job-seeker at some point in time. Have you ever wondered how multiple recruiters from different domains post their job openings on one platform, and it reaches the relevant candidates? Well, you can find out for yourself by creating job portals as you Django projects. The portal would include the following features:
Registration and login – A registration and login page is provided on both the admin and job seeker’s sides. While the admin can control the user registrations, the job seeker can perform the intended activities such as job searching, job application, etc in the platform by signing up or signing in.
Job postings according to preference – the user’s preference can be collected via a filtering mechanism in the app. For example, if someone wants only a Django projects developer job, then job postings related to the same can be displayed in the person’s feed.
Profile management – the user should be able to manage their profile by updating, deleting, or adding data according to their preferences. A password reset mechanism should also be implemented.
Technology stack
- Front end technologies such as PHP, React, JavaScript, etc
- Python-Django
- External APIs
Source code: Open Source Job Portal
Django Projects: Why are they so Important?
Django is a great framework to learn as it is simple in terms of rapid development. Django follows the coding principle DRY- Don’t Repeat Yourself, which means the developers can reuse existing code. They can shift their focus to the unique codes instead. If you are a person who has a fair knowledge of the Python programming language, then you can upskill yourself by learning Django and creating Django projects. Django projects help you gain familiarity with the framework and with this knowledge you can learn other frameworks too, just because you know the niche. Creating Django projects can help you showcase your skills. The relevant recruiters will get to know that you are familiar with an industrial framework such as Django and would be considering your job application. Not only Django but any knowledge must also be practiced by building projects so that you have practical knowledge instead of mere bookish knowledge and ideas.
Conclusion
Getting started with Django projects may be challenging at first, but you can eventually get the hang of it with practice. Make sure that you create a great portfolio on renowned platforms such as GitHub, SourceForge, Gogs, BitBucket, etc. You can also create your website or post your work examples on social media such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc and provide a link to your source codes on GitHub if you wish to. Other ways to get your Django projects portfolio would be to write blogs on platforms like Medium, WordPress, Gatsby, Hugo, etc. to showcase your work. You can also answer technical questions on platforms like Quora, HARO, etc, and provide a link to your Django projects portfolio. Good luck with building your Django projects!
FAQs
Q.1: Is Django good for big projects?
A. It solely depends upon the nature of the projects. Sometimes it may be perfect, but usually, it needs external APIs or frameworks to implement certain features in a large-scale application such as video calling apps, e-commerce apps, etc. A major part of the components in the Django framework go unused.
Q.2: Is Django hard for beginners?
Ans. It would take a long time for beginners to get used to the Django framework. Gaining fair knowledge of Python programming is recommended before you start with Django.
Q.3: Is Django good for web development?
Ans. Django is great for web development as it allows developers to use existing modules, without coding from scratch. The modules can also be used to create apps and websites from external sources, thus speeding up the development process.
Q.4: Is Django good for small projects?
Ans. Though you can experiment with Django for beginner-level projects for learning purposes, Django isn’t suitable for basic apps as it is pretty complex. If your app doesn’t need backend development, then Django would be an unnecessary addition to your technology stack.
Q.5: What are the alternatives to Django?
Ans. According to G2, Flask, web2py, Tornado, Cherrypy, Bottle, Pyramid, TurboGears, ArcGIS API for Python, jam.py, BlueBream, etc are the top alternatives and competitors for Django.