How can you take advantage of the Django framework to integrate complex client-side interactions and real-time features into your web applications? Through a series of rapid application development projects, this hands-on book shows experienced Django developers how to include REST APIs, WebSockets, and client-side MVC frameworks such as Backbone.js into new or existing projects.

Learn how to make the most of Django’s decoupled design by choosing the components you need to build the lightweight applications you want. Once you finish this book, you’ll know how to build single-page applications that respond to interactions in real time. If you’re familiar with Python and JavaScript, you’re good to go.

• Learn a lightweight approach for starting a new Django project
• Break reusable applications into smaller services that communicate with one another
• Create a static, rapid prototyping site as a scaffold for websites and applications
• Build a REST API with django-rest-framework
• Learn how to use Django with the Backbone.js MVC framework
• Create a single-page web application on top of your REST API
• Integrate real-time features with WebSockets and the Tornado networking library
• Use the book’s code-driven examples in your own projects

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The World's Smallest Django Project

Chapter 2. Stateless Web Application

Chapter 3. Building a Static Site Generator

Chapter 4. Building a REST API

Chapter 5. Client-Side Django with Backbone.js

Chapter 6. Single-Page Web Application

Chapter 7. Real-Time Django

Chapter 8. Communication Between Django and Tornado

About the Authors

Julia Solórzano is the Security Experience Supervisor. She has two decades of experience in design and technology. She leads security, user experience and engineering teams, and coach people to help them reach their full potential and create amazing things. Known as a leader in her field, her most recent work experience includes Login.gov, Department of Veteran Affairs API program and the U.S. Web Design System. In addition to her book Lightweight Django, she also wrote curriculum and tutorials about design and development as the Front end Engineering Instructor at the Iron Yard Academy. She has also worked with clients such as Mozilla, the Python Software Foundation, University of Chicago, Hallmark Cards and Product(RED). In 2012, Julia co-founded Girl Develop It RDU, a non-profit organization that provides affordable programs for women interested in learning web and software development in a judgment-free environment. The organization has grown to over 2,200 members and has taught over 100 classes within the Triangle area.

Mark Lavin is a lead Python/Django developer at Caktus Consulting Group in Carrboro, North Carolina. He also runs a small homebrewing website, written in Django, called brewedbyus.com. He came to Python web development after a few years pricing derivatives on Wall Street. Mark maintains anumber of open source projects primarily related to Django development and frequently contributes back to projects used by Caktus. When he isn’t programming, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, brewing beer, and running.