The Difference in Python & Django

Many popular websites are made using Django.

Python is a popular high-level programming language that was designed to be simple and easily read. Django is a web-application framework, sometimes also referred to, incorrectly, as a content-management system. Django is written in Python, and knowledge of Python will be helpful for using Django, but a deep understanding of Python is not necessary.

Purpose

The purposes of Python and Django are significantly different. Python is a programming language and, as such, is at its most basic a method for creating programs. Django, on the other hand, is a web-application framework and has a more focused purpose, which is to assist programmers in the creation of web applications. Python is a programming language, and Django is a support system for Python programmers.

Structure

Python is far more basic in its structure than Django is. Python is concerned primarily with syntax and best practices. Django, however, comes with a significant amount of structure already in place. It has libraries of code to help the programmer do things like access databases and manage user sessions. Python forces you to create this structure from scratch, while Django allows programmers to access a premade structure.

Applications

Django and Python also differ in what can be accomplished by using either one. Python programmers are limited only by their imagination. If a Python programmer can imagine it and write it, then it can be created. Remember that Django is written in Python, so anything that Django can do, Python can also do. Django is focused on web applications and does that very well, but is ill suited for most other tasks.

GUI

Another key difference between Python and Django is the presence of a graphical user interface. Python, like most programming languages, is written out with words and syntax. Django, however, provides users with a GUI, which allows the user to select various options, which Django then turns into code. Some coding will likely be necessary with Django, but the graphical user interface makes creating far easier.

References

• Python: About Python
• Computer World; The A-Z of Programming Languages: Python; Naomi Hamilton; August 2008
• Django: FAQ: General