--- title: "Django Development Company | Arbocode" description: "We build content-heavy applications and internal admin tools on Django, relying on its ORM, auth and built-in admin panel to ship features faster." url: https://arbocode.com/technologies/django --- 1. [Home](https://arbocode.com/) 2. [Technologies](https://arbocode.com/technologies) 3. Django Backend # Django Development Company A batteries-included framework that arrives with an admin panel and an auth system we do not have to build. [Get a free estimate](https://arbocode.com/get-a-quote) [Speak with an engineer](https://arbocode.com/contact) NDA on request · Free, no-obligation estimate · Reply within one business day NDA signed before we start Full IP ownership on payment Your repository from the first commit Live demo at the end of every sprint Built by senior engineers [How we work](https://arbocode.com/process) Django is a monolithic, batteries-included Python web framework. Its ORM, authentication system, admin panel and migration tooling ship together and work as one unit, with no assembly from separate packages. The design gives up some flexibility in exchange for a shorter path from an empty repository to a working application with user accounts, an admin interface and a database schema in place. Django REST Framework extends the same foundation into API-first applications, and we use it when a Django backend needs to serve a separate frontend (React, Vue, a mobile app) rather than rendering its own templates. We recommend Django most for applications where the built-in admin panel, permission system and ORM cover most of what the business logic actually needs, and less for workloads that are fundamentally about high-concurrency real-time data. Fit ## When Django is the right choice, and when it is not ### Good fit - The application needs an internal admin or back-office interface, since Django's admin panel generates a working one from your models with minimal extra code - You are building a content-heavy application (a marketplace, a publishing platform, an internal system of record) where Django's ORM and migrations cover most of the data layer needs - The team wants a single, opinionated way to structure models, views and permissions rather than choosing and wiring together separate libraries for each - You need Django REST Framework to expose the same backend to a React, Vue or mobile frontend while keeping Django's ORM and admin panel for internal operations - The project involves a lot of standard CRUD and permission logic that Django's conventions handle directly, freeing engineering time for the parts of the application that are actually unique ### Consider something else - The workload is dominated by real-time or event-streaming data: websocket-heavy features or high-frequency event processing push against Django's synchronous ORM and request model, which is built around request-response rather than long-lived streams - You need very high-throughput, low-latency APIs with minimal per-request overhead; FastAPI's async-first design and Django's synchronous core put them on different ends of that spectrum - The application is a thin API layer with no admin panel, no server-rendered templates and no need for Django's other batteries; a leaner framework carries less unused weight - The team plans heavy customization of the ORM's generated SQL for performance-critical queries; Django's ORM is good for typical CRUD but requires dropping to raw SQL more often than some alternatives once queries get complex What we build ## What we build with Django - ### Admin-heavy internal systems Back-office tools, content management and operational dashboards built on Django's generated admin panel, customized with admin classes rather than hand-built screens. - ### APIs with Django REST Framework Serializers, viewsets and permission classes exposing a Django backend's data model to a separate React, Vue or mobile frontend, with authentication and pagination handled by the framework. - ### Role-based permissions and multi-tenant access Django's built-in permission framework extended with object-level permissions for applications where different users see different subsets of the same data. - ### Marketplace and content platform backends Data models for listings, users, transactions and content, with Django's ORM handling relationships and migrations as the schema evolves. - ### Scheduled and background processing Celery-based background jobs for email sending, report generation and data synchronization, run alongside the main Django application. Ecosystem ## Libraries and tools we pair it with - Django REST Framework for building APIs - Celery with Redis or RabbitMQ for background jobs - django-allauth for authentication and social login - Pydantic or DRF serializers for request validation - PostgreSQL as the typical database pairing - Wagtail when the project needs a content management layer on top of Django - pytest-django for testing ## The admin panel as a starting point, not the whole product Django's generated admin panel is often the reason teams pick the framework at all: define a model, register it with the admin, and a working create-edit-list interface exists without writing a single screen by hand. We use it heavily for internal operations, moderation queues and configuration screens that would otherwise be a meaningful chunk of a project's budget to build from scratch. The admin panel is not designed to be the customer-facing product, and stretching it to be one (heavy custom JavaScript inside admin templates, unusual permission logic bent to fit the admin's assumptions) tends to produce something harder to maintain than either a proper custom interface or a separate frontend calling a Django REST Framework API. We draw that line early in a project rather than discovering it after the admin panel has been pushed past what it was built for. ## Django REST Framework versus a separate FastAPI service A common question on projects that already run Django is whether new, high-throughput API endpoints should be added to the existing Django REST Framework app or built as a separate FastAPI service. Adding to the existing app keeps one codebase, one deployment and reuses the existing ORM models and permission logic, which is usually the right call when the new endpoints are a modest addition to existing functionality. A separate service becomes worth the added operational complexity when the new work has fundamentally different performance characteristics: heavy async I/O, very high concurrency, or a workload that would strain Django's synchronous request model. We have built both patterns and choose based on how different the new work's shape is from what the existing Django application already does well. - Extend the existing Django REST Framework app for endpoints similar in shape to existing functionality - Add a separate async service only when the new workload's concurrency or latency needs genuinely differ - Keep the ORM and permission model as the shared source of truth when both approaches touch the same data Services ## Services that use Django - [Web Application DevelopmentWe build the logged-in side of your product, including dashboards, portals and workflow tools that handle real data volume, permissions and concurrent users.](https://arbocode.com/services/web-application-development) - [SaaS DevelopmentWe build multi-tenant SaaS products around tenant isolation, subscription billing and self-serve onboarding, architected to scale beyond your first cohort of customers.](https://arbocode.com/services/saas-development) - [ERP DevelopmentWe build the operations backbone that runs inventory, procurement, finance and production, either as a custom system or as an extension of Odoo or Dynamics 365.](https://arbocode.com/services/erp-development) - [Custom Software DevelopmentWe build software around the processes your business already runs on, so operations no longer depend on spreadsheets, workarounds and tools never built for your workflow.](https://arbocode.com/services/custom-software-development) Industries ## Where we use it - [HealthcareClinical and patient-facing software that meets HIPAA technical safeguards and connects to the EHR your care teams already work in.](https://arbocode.com/industries/healthcare) - [EducationLearning platforms and student portals driven by real rostering data and connected to Canvas, Google Classroom and your SIS over LTI 1.3.](https://arbocode.com/industries/education) - [NonprofitDonor CRM, recurring giving and grant reporting software for teams that need to stretch a smaller budget than a for-profit peer has.](https://arbocode.com/industries/nonprofit) - [Professional ServicesEngagement management, time tracking and client portals designed around how consulting and advisory firms bill for their time.](https://arbocode.com/industries/professional-services) FAQ ## Questions about Django Is Django's admin panel secure enough to expose to non-technical staff? Yes, with the permission system configured deliberately: Django's admin respects the same user, group and object-level permissions as the rest of the application, so staff only see and edit what their role allows. We restrict admin access to internal networks or VPN in addition to application-level permissions for anything handling sensitive data. Should a new project use Django or FastAPI? Django when the application needs an admin panel, server-rendered pages, or a lot of standard CRUD and permission logic the framework already covers. FastAPI when the project is API-first, needs high async throughput, or benefits more from Pydantic-based validation than from Django's batteries. Some projects use both, Django for the back office and FastAPI for a high-traffic public API. Can Django handle real-time features like live notifications? To a degree, through Django Channels for websocket support, but Django's core request model is synchronous and request-response oriented. For a product where real-time data is the primary feature rather than an addition to a mostly CRUD application, we typically recommend a framework built async-first from the ground up. How does Django REST Framework compare to building a GraphQL API? Django REST Framework is our default for most APIs because it maps directly onto Django's models and permissions with less new conceptual overhead. We add GraphQL (via Graphene or Strawberry) when a frontend needs to query flexible, nested data shapes that would otherwise require many REST endpoints or heavy over-fetching. What database does Django work best with? PostgreSQL, which is what we default to on nearly every Django project for its support of Django's more advanced ORM features (array fields, JSON fields, full-text search). Django's ORM also supports MySQL and SQLite, but PostgreSQL gets the most complete feature support in practice. Compare ## Alternatives we also work with - [FastAPIAn async-first API framework in which request validation and documentation both come from the same type definitions.](https://arbocode.com/technologies/fastapi) - [LaravelA PHP framework whose structure keeps code maintainable and whose conventions keep delivery fast.](https://arbocode.com/technologies/laravel) - [Ruby on RailsConvention over configuration, which settles the minor decisions on your behalf.](https://arbocode.com/technologies/ruby-on-rails) Insights ## Guides on this topic - [6 min readWhat Custom ERP Development CostsCustom ERP development cost starts around $80,000 for a single-module system and reaches $500,000 or more for a multi-site platform. See what drives it.](https://arbocode.com/blog/erp-development-cost) - [8 min readHow to Build an MVP and Skip the Wrong FeaturesA practical guide on how to build an MVP: scope the smallest viable version, validate demand, pick an engagement model, and avoid the usual mistakes.](https://arbocode.com/blog/how-to-build-an-mvp) - [7 min readWhat MVP Development CostsMVP development cost runs $15,000 to $60,000 for a single-workflow product, and $60,000-$150,000+ once billing or integrations come into play.](https://arbocode.com/blog/mvp-development-cost) ## Talk to a Django developer Send a short description of the project. A senior engineer reads each request and answers with questions, next steps and an early budget range. [Get a free estimate](https://arbocode.com/get-a-quote) [Speak with an engineer](https://arbocode.com/contact)