5 Exciting Beginner Friendly Django Projects to Practice Your Skills

Are you a beginner looking to dive into web development? If so, Django is an excellent framework to start with. It is a popular Python-based web framework that empowers developers to create robust and scalable web applications efficiently. 

In this beginner’s guide, we’ll briefly introduce you to the framework and present five exciting beginner friendly Django project ideas that will not only enhance your skills but also increase your chances of landing your first job:

1. Chat App
2. Weather App
3. To-do App
4. E-Commerce Site
5. Recipe Sharing App

Key Features of Django

Django is a powerful web framework that simplifies and accelerates web development. It offers numerous key features that make it popular among developers. Some of these features include: –

1. Object-Relational Mapping (ORM): Django’s ORM allows you to interact with your database using Python code, eliminating the need for writing complex SQL queries manually.
2. Admin Interface: It provides an automatically generated, customizable admin interface for managing your application’s data.
3. URL Routing: Django’s URL routing system allows you to define clean and meaningful URLs for your application’s pages.
4. Template Engine: Django’s template engine enables you to separate the presentation logic from the backend code, making it easier to design and maintain your application’s user interface.
5. Authentication and Authorization: Django offers robust authentication and authorization mechanisms, making it simple to implement user registration, login, and access control.
6. Testing Framework: Django provides a comprehensive testing framework that allows you to write unit tests to ensure the stability and reliability of your application.

Beginner-Friendly Django Projects to Try

Now that you have a basic understanding of Django, let’s explore five project ideas for beginners that will help you sharpen your skills while working on practical applications.

1) Chat App

Building a simple chat app that allows users to communicate with one another in private rooms in real-time would be a good and simple project for anyone looking to learn Django. This project allows you to explore various Django concepts and features while working on an engaging yet exciting project.

Some of the functions you can implement include:

• User authentication
• Real-time communication
• Database integration
• User interface design

It is advisable that you start small and gradually add more features as you progress. You can get started using tutorials from  GeeksforGeeks or JustDjango

2) Weather App

A weather app is another beginner-friendly project idea that you could add to your portfolio.

Building a weather app allows you to work with APIs, handle data retrieval and processing, and present the weather information in a user-friendly manner.

As a beginner, it is advisable to start with the core functionality of fetching weather data for a specific location and displaying it on the app’s interface. Then, gradually enhance the app by adding features like geolocation, multiple locations, extended forecasts, or visual representations of weather data.

This step-by-step tutorial by DigitalOcean offers a good guide to anyone looking to build their first weather app.

3) To-do App

A to-do app is one of the most common beginner friendly Django projects that you could build to improve your skills.

Building a to-do app allows you to work with database operations, user authentication, and basic CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) functionality.

As a beginner, you can start by creating the basic functionality of adding, displaying, and deleting tasks. Then, you can expand the app by incorporating additional features like task editing, due dates, task categories, notifications, and user customization.

There are many tutorials such as these ones from GeeksforGeeks and BetterProgramming that offer Django projects for beginners with source code.

4) E-Commerce Site

E-commerce sites allow people to buy and sell goods and services online. Building an e-commerce store allows you to improve on important skills and aspects of web development, including:

• User authentication
• Product management
• Shopping cart functionality
• Secure payment integration

An e-commerce site can be quite complex, and it is therefore recommended to start with the core functionalities, such as user authentication, product listing, and shopping cart management, before expanding into more advanced features.

Building an e-commerce store with Django will not only provide you with valuable web development experience but also create a practical application that showcases your skills.

5) Recipe Sharing App

A recipe sharing platform is an excellent beginner friendly project idea that allows users to discover, share, and collaborate on recipes.

Building a recipe sharing platform will expose you to important development aspects such as authentication, database management, content sharing, and social interaction. The app could allow users to submit their favorite recipes, rate recipes, and provide reviews.

You can implement a rating system using Django’s built-in features or external libraries and also enable users to search and browse recipes based on different criteria.

Elevate Your Django Skills as a Beginner With Simple Projects

Django provides an excellent foundation for beginner web developers to learn and build powerful web applications. By embarking on these five beginner-friendly projects, you’ll not only enhance your skills but also be challenged as you unlock your creative potential.

If you are looking to start out your tech journey and be a full stack developer, be sure to check out Zindua School. We offer a comprehensive projects-based Software Development course that covers both front-end development with ReactJS and back-end development with Python-Django.