Best practices

In addition to design patterns, there might be a recommended approach to solving a problem. In Django, as with Python, there might be several ways to solve a problem but one idiomatic approach among those.

Python Zen and Django's design philosophy

Generally, the Python community uses the term 'Pythonic' to describe a piece of idiomatic code. It typically refers to the principles laid out in 'The Zen of Python'. Written like a poem, it is extremely useful to describe such a vague concept.

Tip

Try entering import this in a Python prompt to view 'The Zen of Python'.

Furthermore, Django developers have crisply documented their design philosophies while designing the framework at https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/misc/design-philosophies/.

While the document describes the thought process behind how Django was designed, it is also useful for developers using Django to build applications. Certain principles such as Don't Repeat Yourself (DRY), loose coupling, and tight cohesion can help you write more maintainable and idiomatic Django applications.

Django or Python best practices suggested by this book would be formatted in the following manner:

Tip

Best Practice:

Use BASE_DIR in settings.py and avoid hard-coding directory names.