Main Reasons to Join the Python Community
In today’s world, there are hundreds of programming languages. Some are long proven — such as C and C. Some are more recent — such as Ruby, C#, Lua, and Java.
Choosing a language to learn is not easy. Although no language can be considered ideal for every possible situation, I think Python is well suited for many programming tasks. It also can be a good choice when beginning to learn programming. Hundreds of thousands of programmers around the world use Python, and the number is growing from year to year!
Why Python Attracts New Users
Python continues to attract new users for a variety of reasons. It is a full-fledged, cross-platform language that works equally well on Windows, Linux/UNIX, Macintosh, and many others. It can be used to develop small applications and prototypes but also scales well for developing large programs.
Python is well suited for Rapid application development. Programming an application in Python often takes one-fifth the time of its implementation in C or Java, and the application takes one-fifth of the lines of the equivalent C program. Of course, this depends on the particular application for numerical algorithms performing mostly integer operations in for loops, the performance gain will be much less noticeable.
But for an average application, the gain can be quite significant. The benefits of a more expressive language are clear. The fewer lines of code you have to write, the faster you will complete a project. The fewer lines of code a program contains, the fewer problems there will be with support and debugging. In many other languages, Python requires blocks of code to be indented. This requirement may seem strange to some, but it guarantees one’s code will always be formatted in a simple and readable style.
Batteries Included Philosophy
Another advantage of Python is its “batteries included” philosophy of libraries. The idea is installing Python gives one everything needed for real work and doesn’t require the installation of additional libraries. That’s why the Python standard library comes with modules for working with e-mail, web pages, databases, operating system functions, building a graphical interface, etc.
For example, in Python, a web server for sharing files in a directory is just two lines of code. No need to install libraries to handle network connections and HTTP support, all functionality is already available in Python. Results Python is a modern high-level language with dynamic typing, simple logical syntax, and semantics. Python is fast enough and can be easily extended with C modules or C for speed.
Python has built-in non-trivial features such as object long-term storage, powerful hash tables, extensible class syntax, and versatile comparison functions.
Immense Support
The dynamic Python community supports the language. On my own behalf, I’ll add that a huge number of sites, portals, and programs have been created in the world, a lot of business problems have been solved, and an incredible number of ideas have been implemented. All of them were written a long time ago, expanded, and more programmers were hired to solve the same problem more productively. I see only one language that can withstand in strength all the languages in which software products were created, and this is Python! It is definitely the only language that can recreate all created solutions and create these solutions faster and much safer!
People in the Python community spend time on projects and business tasks — not looking for the mistakes of other people! We have countless libraries written in C, especially if the question concerns neural networks and machine learning. Without Python, the question is extremely difficult to solve!
These are just some of the reasons I like Python. For more information about how Swan Software Solutions can help your company with a project, schedule a free assessment today.
Heroku
Heroku is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) that provides hosting for web applications. It offers abstracted environments where you don’t have to manage the underlying infrastructure, making it easy to manage, deploy, and scale web applications. Heroku embraces the batteries included philosophy. It’s an opinionated environment, but it’s also an environment that you don’t have to manage.- so you can FOCUS on application development rather than the environment supporting it.
The tutorials and articles on TestDriven.io teach advanced Heroku deployment strategies and workflows, usually with continuous integration and deployment, using Docker.
Deploying and Hosting a Machine Learning Model with FastAPI and Heroku
- Posted by Michael Herman
- Last updated on May 31st, 2023
Develop a production-ready RESTful API for serving up a machine learning model with FastAPI.
Deploying a Flask and Vue App to Heroku with Docker and Gitlab CI
- Posted by Michael Herman
- Last updated on April 23rd, 2023
Containerize a full-stack web app powered by Flask and Vue and deploy it to Heroku using Gitlab CI.
Heroku Alternatives for Python-based Applications
- Posted by Nik Tomazic
- Last updated on November 8th, 2022
Learn what the best Heroku alternatives (and their pros and cons) are.
Building a CRUD App with FastAPI and MongoDB
- Posted by Abdulazeez Abdulazeez Adeshina
- Last updated on February 6th, 2022
Develop an asynchronous API with FastAPI and MongoDB.
Deploying Django to Heroku With Docker
- Posted by Michael Herman
- Last updated on November 24th, 2021
How to deploy a Django app to Heroku with Docker via the Heroku Container Runtime.
Production Django Deployments on Heroku
- Posted by Michael Herman
- Last updated on January 28th, 2021
Simplify the process of deploying, maintaining, and scaling a production-grade Django app on Heroku.
Migrating from Heroku to AWS
- Posted by Pete Jeffryes
- Last updated on April 5th, 2018
This post organizes some of the best tutorials on the web to migrate from Heroku to AWS.
Deploying a Flask and React Microservice to AWS ECS
In this course, you’ll learn how to use AWS CodeBuild for continuous integration and delivery along with AWS Elastic Container Service (ECS) for container orchestration in order to deploy a set of microservices powered by Python, Flask, and React.
Deploying a Flask and React Microservice to AWS ECS
In this course, you’ll learn how to use AWS CodeBuild for continuous integration and delivery along with AWS Elastic Container Service (ECS) for container orchestration in order to deploy a set of microservices powered by Python, Flask, and React.
Pros and Cons of Django as web framework for Python developers
Django describes itself as the web framework for perfectionists with deadlines. It was designed to help Python developers take applications from concept to completion as quickly as possible.
It allows quick development if you want to create a CRUD application with batteries included. With Django, you won’t have to reinvent the wheel. It just works and lets you FOCUS on your business logic and creating something users can use.
Strengthen your team with skilled Python developers. We cover the entire software development process, from business analysis and planning, through guiding you on machine learning solutions, to web application development. See how we can help you
Benefits of Django
Batteries included philosophy
The principle behind batteries-included means common functionality for building web applications comes with the framework, not as separate libraries.
Django includes dozens of functionality you can use to handle common web development tasks. Here are some high-level functionalities that Django provides you, which otherwise you have to stick together if you were to use a micro-framework instead:
- ORM
- Database migrations
- User authentication
- Admin panel
- Forms
Standardized structure
Django as a framework suggests the correct structure of a project. That structure helps developers in figuring out how and where to implement any new feature.
With a widely accepted project structure that is similar to many projects, it is much easier to find online compatible solutions or ask the community for help. There are many passionate Python developers who will help you solve any issue you may encounter.
Django applications
Django applications (or apps for short) allow developers to divide a project into multiple applications. An app is anything that is installed by placing in settings.INSTALLED_APPS. This makes it easier for developers to add functionality to the web application by integrating external Django applications into the project.
There are hundreds of reusable modules and apps to speed up your development. Check Django Packages website.
Secure by default
Django provides good security protection out of the box and includes prevention mechanisms for common attacks like SQL Injection (XSS) and Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF). You can find more details in the official security overview guide.
REST framework for building APIs
Django REST Framework, typically abbreviated DRF, is a Python library for building APIs. It has a modular and customizable architecture that works well for both simple and sophisticated web APIs.
DRF provides a set of authentication and permission policies out of the box. It is a flexible, full-featured library with modular and customizable architecture. It comes with generic classes for CRUD operations and a built-in API browser for testing API endpoints.
GraphQL framework for building APIs
Large REST APIs often require a lot of requests to different endpoints to retrieve all required data. GraphQL it’s a query language that allows us to share related data in a much easier fashion. For an introduction to GraphQL and an overview of its concepts, please refer to the official GraphQL documentation.
Graphene-Django provides abstractions that make it easy to add GraphQL functionality to your Django project. Regular Django models, forms, authentication, permission policies and other functionalities can be reused to build GraphQL schema. It also provides a built-in API browser for testing API endpoints.
Disadvantages of Django
Django ORM
Django ORM, created before SQLAlchemy existed, is now much inferior to SQLAlchemy. It is based on the Active Record pattern which is worse than the Unit of Work pattern adopted by SQLAlchemy. This means, in Django, models can “save” themselves and transactions are off by default, they are an afterthought. Read more in Why I sort of dislike Django.
Django evolves slowly
Django is large and is considered monolithic piece of software. This allows the community to develop hundreds of reusable modules and apps but has also limited the speed of development of the Django. On top of that Django needs to maintain backward compatibility, so it evolves slowly.
Summary. Should I use Django as a Python developer?
While Django ORM is not as flexible as SQLAlchemy and the large ecosystem of reusable modules and apps slows down framework evolution. clearly Django should be the first choice web framework for Python developers.
Alternative, light frameworks, like Flask, while offering a retreat from Django large ecosystem and configurations, in the long term can require much more extra libraries and functionality, eventually making many experienced Python developers finding themselves wishing they’d started with Django instead.
Django project’s stability and community have grown tremendously over the past decade since the framework’s creation. Official documentation and tutorials are some of the best anywhere in software development. With each release, Django continues to add significant new functionality.
If you liked this article, you should check out 7 Common Mistakes That Django Developers Make.
Pros and Cons of Django Web Framework
Python is the 3rd most popular programming language in 2020. It is a powerful, dynamic, syntax-simplified, programming language used for high-level web application development and machine learning apps. And if you know about Python, you’ve probably heard of Django web framework – the most used Python framework.
Django development has gained much fame due to its computation capabilities. Today, Django stands as one of the most used web development frameworks.
Developers widely prefer Django web development for its “batteries included” philosophy. It means that as a Django developer, you don’t have to install separate libraries for adding functionalities.
Django provides a plethora of features to add standard functionalities in any kind of web application.
Django Web Framework and the “batteries included” philosophy
Django is an MVT-based, open-source web application development framework which is written in Python. It enables clear coding and reduces complexities in web development.
Python web development with Django becomes easier because Python lacks built-in web development capabilities. Django provides functionalities which compensate for that gap.
Django development is highly popular because of its “batteries included” philosophy. It provides many common functionalities for web development, which saves you from writing code for each and every function.
Django web framework also provides advanced functionalities like ORM, database migration, user authentication, admin panel, and forms.
Django programmers love the framework for its capability to simplify working with databases. It speeds up the development process and enables developers to build scalable applications. Developers also use it because it allows splitting Django projects into multiple applications.
While developers use Django web framework across the world, it has its own pros and cons. Some developers outright love Django while some are happy with their age-old frameworks like Ruby on Rails.
Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of Django development is essential for developers and enterprises who are confused about which framework they should choose for development.
Pros of Django web development
Many developers prefer Django. It has marked its dominance in the machine learning and AI sector because of the computational and statistical capabilities. Some of the main advantages of Django development are listed below.
- Batteries included
- The first and foremost benefit of Django web development is its batteries included feature. Instead of writing the code, developers can use readymade packages for adding functionalities.
- This saves a huge amount of time for the developers, and they can FOCUS on adding advanced functions.
- You can use the packages made by world-class community members as the Django web framework is open source.
- You can implement authentication with auth package, admin interfacing with admin package, session management with Sessions package and so on.
- Because all the features are included in the framework, Developers can just import these packages and start building applications in no time.
- Unlike Ruby on Rails, Django doesn’t follow the convention over configuration mechanism. Since it is written in Python, a versatile programming language, Django for web development provides more flexibility and dynamism to the developers.
- They can configure the framework on-the-go according to their needs and build web applications.
- Being written in Python, web development using Django provides excellent support for external libraries and packages. You can easily import a package in Django without any security concerns.
- In Django, more emphasis is placed on explicit programming rather than implicit programming, making it one of the ideal frameworks for applications that require Rapid changes.
- One of the most important pros of Django development is that it enables faster development. Startups and enterprises can utilize it to develop Rapid MVP and get more time to market the product.
- Django has benchmarks to check the internal development speed. With the proper configuration, Django web development provides optimization for web applications.
- While Python web development with Django might be considered a little slow due to Python’s configurations, Django compensates for that.
- The framework’s configuration and architectural design are that it allows using multiple components at once, enabling Rapid development. Developers can work parallelly without any loss of development speed.
- APIs are essential to add advanced level features to a web application. Django REST framework is a Python library which enables building APIs for the application.
- The framework has a modular and configurable architecture which makes API development easier.
- Django programmers love the REST framework with Django as it provides them with powerful API functionality.
- The REST framework has a built-in API browser for testing API endpoints. Django web framework provides authentication and permissions rules to work flexibility with the framework.
- The library provides customizations that are not supported by other frameworks like FLASK, a popular Python development framework.
- Django app development is preferred by developers working with machine learning algorithms. FLASK can be used for deploying machine learning models, but it is a lightweight framework.
- Django is more advanced and is compatible with some of the powerful machine learning libraries like PyTorch, NumPy, etc.
- Django’s computational and statistical capabilities make it the ideal platform for machine learning applications.
- Enterprises are exploiting the power of Django for web development in their applications.
- Django provides regression and prediction capabilities, enabling intelligent application development.
Cons of Django web development
While Django web framework is robust and known for its development capabilities, it is still not the primary framework for a lot of programmers. There are a few disadvantages of Django, and old-time developers have a hard time making the transition. Some of the cons of Django development are listed below.
- No conventions
- Most programmers dislike Django web development because of the lack of conventions.
- Unlike Ruby on Rails, the framework doesn’t have a set of principles that developers can follow for web development.
- It makes things difficult for developers who have worked on frameworks with Convention over Configuration.
- Often, configuring on-the-go leads to mismatched components, and many developers are not comfortable with it. Early Django developers faced this problem. Since everything has to be defined as development progresses, sometimes the development speed can be much slower than anticipated.
- Django web framework is not suitable for smaller projects and products with only a few features and requirements.
- Django calls for a lot of coding, which takes server processing time and bandwidth while development. It is generally used for projects which need scaling or are going to be launched on a large scale.
- Web development with Django for small projects is difficult because the framework can confuse developers with its unique functionalities.
- Small scale developers don’t want a high-end framework for development. They can easily work with Ruby on Rails for building their application. In this sense, only scalable projects must utilize Django.
- For all the “batteries included” in Django, the framework is monolithic. It has a meagre count of dependencies which makes it difficult to use.
- Django programmers consider the framework as a single package, which is not a good thing. The lower dependencies Django have, the more code, developers will have to write.
- Django doesn’t encourage developers to learn Python packages and tools. Instead, Django development focuses on providing programmers with more and more code-oriented programming.
- Using libraries is easy in Django, but considering it as a single package for web development is a mistake made by many developers.
- One of the primary disadvantages is that the Django web framework has a steep learning curve.
- Although it is a clear and simple framework, it is written in Python, which makes it difficult to learn. Django comes with a lot of features and configuration that can’t be easily understood by developers.
- Developers making a switch from other languages to Python development with Django often find it harder to learn. The framework has different syntax due to Python, and developers don’t get the hang of it quickly.
- They have to learn it for a long time before they can become experts in that. Even though the framework is old and evolves slowly, it is still one of the hardest to master.
Managing multiple requests is offered by almost all the frameworks in the market. The reason Django doesn’t support multiple requests is that it encourages Django developers to explore individual processes and make decisions.
Should you consider Django for web development?
Django web framework is increasingly becoming a popular choice amongst developers and enterprises. It is a robust framework for building large-scale enterprise applications. However, for small apps and single page websites, Django is probably not the right choice.
Which Coding Language is Best for Kids to Learn First?
Type “coding” in Google and you’ll get more than 232 million results in only 0.39 seconds. The top results are all about learning to code. Coding nowadays is not a subject that you go to college to study. often, it’s one more important item that more and more people want to add to their skillset. Instead of getting a degree in Computer Science, they choose to take advantage of the internet and teach themselves using those online resources。
In the 21st century, coding is not just for grown-ups anymore. Coding for kids is now a regular task for a lot of families. According to a Quora answer, there are over 250 programming languages in the world. So it’s still dauntingly confusing when it comes to choosing the right coding language to start with.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Language
It’s certainly important to choose the right language for kids. Learning a new language includes understanding new ideas and concepts. If the language is too hard, it spells too much trouble for kids, especially beginners, and they won’t continue learning. But, if it’s too easy, they won’t feel challenged and inspired and will lose their interest as well.
Since you understand the importance of choosing the exact right first coding language for your child, here maybe help you pick the right one.
Scratch 3.0
Scratch was created by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab to be a children’s programming language. MIT is one of the most prestigious technology institutions in the world. Scratch is believed to be the best programming language for kids aged 8 to 16. Throughout the world, there are more than 26 million Scratch users. In the US, nearly half of the programming courses use Scratch as their language. As a programming education tool, it’s definitely setting the bar high, and, more importantly, it’s free.
Simple and Visual
Scratch incorporates a building-block interface and connects their coding-learning process with a child’s experience playing with building blocks. Since both activities are similar, they make the programming part more engaging and fun for children, especially for those who don’t have any coding experience.
Abundant Learning Resources
You can count on MIT when it comes to teaching students how to code. The Scratch team created quite a robust online community, where you can find many learning resources and getting-started tutorials.
Scratch 3.0 was officially launched at the beginning of January 2019. The new Scratch added even more exciting new features. For example, recording and editing sound and adding an extension, among others. Here is a quick guide to help you and your kids get access to the top 10 free resources for learning coding:
Python
Python is now considered one of the easiest coding languages to learn. However, don’t underestimate its power just because it’s easy. Companies like Google and Disney use it to build many of their products and platforms.
Coding Like A Programmer
When learning to code, it’s more important for your kids to learn to think like a programmer than writing code. Python is designed to present very few obstacles when it comes to learning how to program. As a result, students will be able to learn how to build out their ideas. After that, the courses lead them to think about how to transfer their ideas into instructions that a machine can interpret. If you want to lay a foundation for your kids and help them to learn to think like a programmer, Python is your choice.
“Batteries Included” Philosophy
Python’s “Batteries Included” philosophy means that it has a library with a great deal of information and great versatility, and the library is always available. In this library, you can find so many common functionalities that have already been developed and are ready to use, saving users’ time and letting them start quickly.
Codey Rocky
However, compared to Scratch, which is quite visually appealing and fun, and specifically created for kids, Python could be a little too serious for children. Codey Rocky could be the solution for that. Codey Rocky combines hardware with software, allowing children to learn about programming while they play and create. Using mBlock, a software program that supports both block-based and Python programming, kids get to apply what they have coded to the robot and have a better understanding of how the code is interpreted on a hardware product.
JavaScript
Choosing JavaScript means you are aiming for bigger fish. It’s generally considered more difficult than Scratch and Python. However, once someone learns and understands JavaScript, it paves the way for learning other, more basic, coding languages.
JavaScript has played a significant role in developing apps and creating websites. For the past two decades, it’s been used by a huge number of professional developers and students to build apps and websites from scratch. There are many, many online resources, toolkits, and tutorials to help beginners overcome any initial obstacles, such as understanding how the syntax works.
Swift
Swift is a general-purpose, multi-paradigm, compiled programming language. Developed by Apple Inc. for iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, Linux, and z/OS, it’s an open-source coding language used by app developers all over the world. Swift is the future of Apple development.
Swift Playground
To expand its target market and make it more kid-friendly, Apple launched Swift Playgrounds. According to Apple, it’s a “revolutionary app for iPad that makes learning Swift interactive and fun.”
Learners don’t have to equip themselves with any sort of coding knowledge, so it’s perfect for beginners. By solving puzzles, students can master the basics using Swift and create their own apps.
Robots Await Your Commands
To make the best use of Swift Playgrounds, children can grab any of the many useful add-on tools to learn and practice with. Makeblock Neuron Explorer Kit is one of the powerful support tools designed for Swift Playgrounds.
How does Makeblock Neuron Explorer Kit help?
The Makeblock Neuron Explorer Kit has a series of programmable electronic blocks that function as sensors, lights, sounds, motors, and so on. It gives children the power to create almost anything by using those blocks. The kit encourages kids to explore and expand their creativity. With the 12 programmable Neuron blocks and Swift coding, the kit can turn the ideas in their heads into real creations, such as explorer car, piano, ukulele, and LED Swords. Users can not only enjoy the pleasure of DIY, but also taste the magic of building with electronic blocks. Many people have said that it’s an interesting way to weave software and hardware learning. So, if you are thinking about learning how to build apps, it’s time to start getting to know this language and use it with robots.
Ruby
Ruby is a robust programming language. It has been chosen by many developers and programmers to power hundreds of thousands of web applications. and Airbnb were originally written in Ruby.
Ruby has the most readable syntax for beginning programmers and is truly syntactically straightforward. It’s like you’ve already been given many synonyms for a word and you’re allowed to choose any of them as long as you deliver your information correctly. Syntactical simplicity gives developers more flexibility to choose different ways to solve a problem.
However, Ruby is a more complex language, which suitable for kids with some coding experience.
Learning Resources: Coding for Kids:
One thing to keep in mind when choosing the first programming language for your kids is that there is no perfect choice. You have to help your children understand what they’re trying to get out of it and where they stand in the learning process, and choose based on their particular needs.
If you still feel confused about how to teach your kids to start learning to code, you should check out the ultimate guide for parents – Coding for Kids. This guidance definitely will help you to understand what is the most efficient way for your kids to start learning to code.