Title: Dive into Django: Building Scalable Web Applications with Python

### Introduction

Welcome to our deep dive into Django, the powerful and versatile web framework for building dynamic websites with Python. In this blog post, we’ll explore the fundamentals of Django and learn how to create a simple web application without any CSS styles. Let’s get started!

### Setting Up Your Environment

First, you’ll need to install Python and Django on your machine. You can follow the official Django documentation for step-by-step instructions on installation: [Django Documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.2/topics/install/)

Once you have Django installed, create a new project using the command `django-admin startproject my_project`. Replace “my_project” with the name of your choice.

### Creating an Application

Next, navigate into your project directory and create a new application using the command `python manage.py startapp my_app`. Again, replace “my_app” with the name of your choice.

### Defining the Database

Django comes with a built-in database abstraction layer that supports various databases like SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MySQL. For this example, we’ll use SQLite. Open the `settings.py` file in your project directory and find the DATABASES section. It should look like this:

“`python
DATABASES = {
‘default’: {
‘ENGINE’: ‘django.db.backends.sqlite3’,
‘NAME’: BASE_DIR / ‘db.sqlite3’,
}
}
“`

### Creating a Model

Models in Django represent the data structures of your application. Let’s create a simple model for a blog post. In your `my_app` directory, open the `models.py` file and add the following code:

“`python
from django.db import models

class BlogPost(models.Model):
title = models.CharField(max_length=200)
content = models.TextField()
created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
updated_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True)
“`

Now, run the migrate command to create the database table: `python manage.py makemigrations` and `python manage.py migrate`.

### Creating Views

Views are the heart of a Django web application. They handle the logic for displaying data to the user. In your `my_app` directory, open the `views.py` file and add the following code:

“`python
from django.shortcuts import render
from .models import BlogPost

def blog_posts(request):
posts = BlogPost.objects.all().order_by(‘-created_at’)
return render(request, ‘blog/blog_posts.html’, {‘posts’: posts})
“`

### Creating a Template

Templates are HTML files that Django uses to display data from the views. Create a new folder named `templates` in your `my_app` directory. Inside the `templates` folder, create another folder named `blog`. Inside the `blog` folder, create a file named `blog_posts.html`.

Here’s a simple template for displaying blog posts:

“`html
{% extends “base.html” %}

{% block content %}

Blog Posts

{% for post in posts %}

{{ post.title }}

{{ post.content }}

Created at: {{ post.created_at }}

{% endfor %}
{% endblock %}
“`

### URL Routing

Finally, we need to define the URL pattern for our view. In your project directory, open the `urls.py` file and add the following code:

“`python
from django.urls import path
from my_app.views import blog_posts

urlpatterns = [
path(‘blog/’, blog_posts, name=’blog_posts’),
]
“`

### Running the Server

Now you can run your Django web application by executing the command