ALX Django Learning Lab

A comprehensive collection of Django projects and exercises developed as part of the ALX Software Engineering program. This repository demonstrates progressive learning of Django web framework, from basic concepts to advanced features.

Overview

This repository contains multiple Django projects covering various aspects of web development with Django, including:

• Django fundamentals and project structure
• Database models and ORM
• RESTful API development
• Advanced features and security implementations

Repository Structure

Alx_DjangoLearnLab/
│
├── Introduction_to_Django/       # Getting started with Django basics
│
├── django-models/                # Database models and relationships
│
├── api_project/                  # Basic API development with Django REST Framework
│
├── advanced-api-project/         # Advanced API features and patterns
│
└── advanced_features_and_security/  # Security best practices and advanced Django features

Technologies Used

• Python (87%) - Primary programming language
• HTML (13%) - Template rendering
• Django - Web framework
• Django REST Framework - API development
• SQLite/PostgreSQL - Database systems

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• pip (Python package manager)
• Virtual environment (recommended)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/lameckirungu/Alx_DjangoLearnLab.git
cd Alx_DjangoLearnLab

2. Create and activate a virtual environment:

# On Windows
python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate

# On macOS/Linux
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

3. Navigate to a specific project directory and install dependencies:

cd <project-directory>
pip install -r requirements.txt  # if requirements.txt exists

4. Run migrations:

python manage.py migrate

5. Start the development server:

python manage.py runserver

Projects Description

Introduction to Django

Foundational Django concepts including:

• Project setup and configuration
• URL routing and views
• Templates and static files

Django Models

Database modeling and ORM operations:

• Model creation and relationships
• Queries and database operations
• Model managers and custom methods

API Project

Basic REST API development:

• Setting up Django REST Framework
• Serializers and ViewSets
• API endpoints and routing

Advanced API Project

Advanced API features:

• Authentication and permissions
• Filtering, searching, and pagination
• Custom API views and mixins

Advanced Features and Security

Security implementations and advanced Django features:

• User authentication and authorization
• Security best practices (CSRF, XSS, SQL Injection prevention)
• Custom permissions and middleware
• Advanced Django features

Learning Objectives

• Understand Django's MVT (Model-View-Template) architecture
• Build and manage database models with Django ORM
• Create RESTful APIs using Django REST Framework
• Implement authentication and authorization
• Apply security best practices in web development
• Deploy Django applications

Documentation

For more information about Django:

• Official Django Documentation
• Django REST Framework Documentation

Contributing

This is a learning repository, but suggestions and improvements are welcome! Feel free to:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Submit a pull request

License

This project is part of the ALX Software Engineering program.

Author

lameckirungu

• GitHub: @lameckirungu

Acknowledgments

• ALX Africa for the comprehensive curriculum
• The Django community for excellent documentation and resources

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This repository is actively maintained as part of ongoing learning and development.