Django is a free and open-source web application framework that allows developers to quickly create complex websites. It comes with several built-in tools as well as a large developer community, which means that the framework has an answer for almost any problem.
Being a Django development agency based in the UK, we are often asked, who uses Django and why. So we’ve compiled the list below. Since its release in 2005, Django has been used by several big companies such as Instagram, Pinterest, and Disqus.
The sites built on the Django framework have been selected according to its popularity on the web.
1 – Instagram
If you follow any popular people or companies on Instagram, you’ve seen many photos of food, sunsets, and selfies. So who is actually behind all these amazing images? It is something that most people do not think about because Instagram has become part of our daily life.
The site was developed by Instagram, which is a social network where users can share their photos with others or use various filters to improve the look of their photos. It also allows users to follow each other and see how often photos are liked or commented on.
Developed by a company named notKodak, the site was originally developed as a site for sharing photos from digital cameras. In 2010, just five months after being acquired by Facebook, Instagram had more than 30 million users which presents huge success for this site built on the Django framework.
2 – Pinterest
Pinterest is a site where people can see all sorts of interesting things, like new ideas for their home. It is a site where people can share the things they like with others.
Pinterest site uses Python-Markdown which is an open-source web application framework built on top of Django web framework. As Pinterest site gained popularity, its codebase has become more complex and notKodak has been hired to improve site performance.
3 – Disqus
For a site to be successful, it should have many users who can provide good content and share their thoughts on the site. In other words, the site needs as many comments as possible.
Disqus site is a web application that allows members of the site to comment on the site using their Facebook, Google, or AOL accounts. However, the site is also open to anonymous comments and allows site members to create a site account without having a Disqus profile.
Disqus site was created by Disqus, Inc in 2007 and it currently hosts more than 800 million comments for thousands of sites across the web. The site uses Python-Markdown for site caching and site search.
4 – The Onion
If you are looking for a site that publishes satirical news, then this site is one of your best options. It has been available on the internet since 1996 and it continues to provide its readers with informative content.
The Onion site uses Django framework at the back-end and the site also has its online store powered by Shopify site. Besides many popular sites, Django is used by one of the biggest Onion sites on the internet to provide content for all site visitors.
5 – The Guardian
The Guardian site has been providing online news since 1999, and it’s one of the oldest newspapers on the web. It was originally founded in Manchester by a group of non-conformist radical. Nowadays, the site covers all major international and UK news as well as a wide range of other topics.
6 – Spotify
Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services in the world, but it is also used in countries all over the world where site users can access site’s free online music streaming service.
Spotify site was originally created in 2006 and continues to improve the website’s performance with PyDjango framework. The Django framework is also used by Spotify to provide site visitors with rich content experiences.
7 – New York Times
Its site serves site users with various types of content including site news, site columnists and site videos. The newspaper was founded in 185. It now is one of the most popular sites on the internet.
The site also provides readers with comments section where visitors can express their thoughts about site’s content.
As NYT’s website popularity is constantly growing, they chose the Django framework for powerful administration for the back-end CMS. The site runs on the top of Amazon Web Services using EC2 for site hosting and Elastic Load Balancers to improve site performance.