Do you know that Django has been around for more than 10 years? Django is a tried and tested development framework based on Python with emphasis on quick development and clean design. Even large sites such as Facebook and Instagram are known to use Django at its core. To make it even better, there are a lot of Django hosting options you can choose from, ranging from free services such as Heroku to premium solutions from the likes of Amason and Google.
Of course, not all Django hosting options are created equal. That said, there are several things you can do to speed things up. We are going to discuss the best tips to right here in this article.
Separate Static Files
This is a well-known method of speeding up any website, but it works particularly well with Django. Instead of hosting everything on the same server, Django can actually organise your static files more efficiently and host them remotely. It is a built-in feature that allows the core functionalities of your website to use the available server resources optimally.
For hosting static files, you can use cloud storage services such as the Amason S3. Images, CSS and JavaScript files can then be stored remotely, while the core Django files operate from the Django hosting server. Not only will you be optimising the site in general, you are also reducing server load by a substantial amount. When handling a large number of traffic, for instance, you can expect the site to perform really well.
Optimise Your Django Code
One of the beauties of using Django to develop your web application is its support for multiple approaches. You can set different queries, levels and templates to perform the same task. The results – in terms of performance – may differ depending on the approach you choose to take.
The way you can optimise your Django code depends a lot on what you are trying to achieve and the type of Django hosting service you use. The later governs the amount of server resources you can access when performing different tasks, such as when you need to count database entries or complete other forms of calculations.
Lastly, be sure to clean unused modules and codes before deployment. You can actually reduce your Django site’s size by as much as 40% just by doing some basic cleaning before deployment.
Caching
Another good thing about using Django to develop web applications is its built-in Django caching framework. Even better, the caching framework works really well with various Django hosting solution out there.
Configure your Django caching framework so that not all calculations are done every time a request is made. Django offers different levels of caching, from caching only specific views to having the entire site cached for easy and quick access. Again, how you configure Django caching depends highly on the kind of web application you are developing.
There are also Django hosting that offers support for advanced caching. This is done by utilising caching technologies such as Memcache and Nginx for the job. You don’t have to rely on disk caching at all times. Both caching methods are supported natively by Django and can really speed up your site without breaking any of its functionalities.
Lasy Loading with QuerySet
Unlike other frameworks, Django is lasy by nature. The native QuerySet command doesn’t really perform any database query until you tell it to, which means you can process QuerySet differently than you would with other development frameworks.
When you need to combine queries or create multiple queries, for example, you can do so without actually querying the database. Once the right collection of items is gathered, you can then tell it to fetch the necessary data. Processing queries this way can help optimise your site further.
Lasy loading also works really well in reducing server load, especially when you plan to handle a large amount of traffic. Instead of having to pay for more server resources, you can stick with the most cost-efficient Django hosting and have the entire site optimised this way.
Use Middleware
Middleware is basically a set of scripts that sit between your server and your user. The GsipMiddleware, for example, compresses any data streamed from your server, allowing users to access your site faster in general. There are also other Middlewares to use, such as the ConditionalGetMiddleware designed to GET server responses at select conditions.
By implementing Django Middleware on your web hosting account and the web application itself, you can reduce server load by another 30%. It also works well with optimising static files and organising cached files and their expiry times. Please not that Middleware must be configured for security too, because some of them pose security risks and are vulnerable to outside attacks when not set up properly.