Alx_DjangoLearnLab

A structured learning repository designed to document and practice Django concepts as part of the ALX Software Engineering journey. This repo serves as a hands-on lab for exploring Django fundamentals, building projects, and experimenting with different features of the framework.

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Table of Contents

• About
• Projects & Structure
• Features Explored
• Getting Started
• Requirements
• How to Run the Projects
• Contributing
• License

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About

This repository is part of the ALX-Africa software engineering track and is meant for:

• Practicing core Django concepts
• Experimenting with Django apps, models, views, templates, APIs, security features
• Building mini-projects to reinforce learning

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Projects & Structure

Here’s an overview of the folders/projects inside this repo:

Project / Folder	Purpose
django_blog	A blog application to practise models, views, templates, CRUD operations
api_project	Working with Django REST / building APIs
social_media_api	More advanced API features, perhaps authentication, permissions etc.
library_management_system (or LibraryProject)	Building a system to manage books, users etc.
advanced-api-project	Exploring more advanced API patterns, perhaps custom permissions, throttling etc.
advanced_features_and_security	Focus on Django’s security features, permission systems, advanced settings etc.
django_models	Hands-on practice with models: relationships, migrations etc.

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Features Explored

While the exact content evolves, some of the key Django features you’ll likely see/use here include:

• Models, migrations & relationships
• Views (class-based & function-based)
• Templates and static assets
• URL routing
• Forms and validation
• Django admin customization
• REST APIs (serializers, viewsets)
• Authentication & permissions
• Security best practices (e.g. CSRF, input validation, safe settings)

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Getting Started

These instructions will get you a copy of the project up and running locally for learning and experimentation.

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Requirements

You will need:

• Python (3.8+ recommended)
• pip (Python package manager)
• Virtual environment tool (e.g. venv or virtualenv)
• Familiarity with Django basics helps

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How to Run the Projects

Here’s a general workflow to run any of the projects in this repo:

1. Clone this repository

   git clone https://github.com/Aalphakeem-Adroit/Alx_DjangoLearnLab.git
   cd Alx_DjangoLearnLab

2. Choose a project folder (e.g. django_blog, api_project, etc.)

3. Set up a virtual environment

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate     # On Unix/MacOS
   # or
   venv\Scripts\activate        # On Windows

4. Install dependencies Typically there will be a requirements.txt in each project or at root.

   pip install -r requirements.txt

5. Apply migrations

   python manage.py migrate

6. Run the development server

   python manage.py runserver

7. Explore

   • Navigate to localhost:8000 (or whichever port) in your browser
   • Use API endpoints (if present)
   • Check out admin (if enabled), templates, etc.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you find errors, have project suggestions, or want to add features:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a new branch (e.g. feature/xyz or fix/bug-abc)
3. Make your changes
4. Commit and push
5. Open a Pull Request

Please try to follow consistent style and include clear commit messages. If adding new projects, try to match the existing structure (README, requirements, usage instructions etc.).

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. You are free to use, modify, distribute, etc., under the terms of the license. (GitHub)

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Acknowledgments

• ALX-Africa — for the curriculum inspiration
• Django documentation — for being a great guide
• Any libraries, tutorials or guides used along the way

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Happy Learning & Building! 🚀