Fans pick 64 books like Mastering Django

By Nigel George,

Here are 64 books that Mastering Django fans have personally recommended if you like Mastering Django. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Two Scoops of Django: Best Practices for the Django Web Framework 1st Edition

Arun Ravindran Author Of Django Design Patterns and Modern Best Practices

From my list on Django for building solid web apps in Python.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been dabbling in Python for the last 22 years. I am a regular speaker at Pycon India ever since its inception. Most of my talks are related to Django. I host arunrocks.com where I write tutorials, and articles and publish screencasts on several Django and Python topics. My initial screencast titled "Building a blog in 30 mins with Django" is one of the most popular screencasts for beginners in Django. I’m a developer member of the Django Software Foundation.

Arun's book list on Django for building solid web apps in Python

Arun Ravindran Why did Arun love this book?

Two Scoops is the bible of Django development. It has the most detailed coverage of the Django web framework including best practices and tips. The book has a delightful ice cream-based theme including delightful illustrations. There are several editions of this book so make sure you have the latest one. Overall a valuable reference. However, this book might be daunting for an absolute beginner.

By Daniel Roy Greenfeld, Audrey Roy Greenfeld,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Two Scoops of Django as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Two Scoops of Django 1.11 Will Help You Build Django Projects.

In this book we introduce you to the various tips, tricks, patterns, code snippets, and techniques that we've picked up over the years. We have put thousands of hours into the fourth edition of the book, writing and revising its material to include significant improvements and new material based on feedback from previous editions.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Coding Style
Chapter 2: The Optimal Django Environment Setup
Chapter 3: How To Lay Out Django Projects
Chapter 4: Fundamentals of Django App Design
Chapter 5: Settings and Requirements Files…


Book cover of Django for Beginners

Arun Ravindran Author Of Django Design Patterns and Modern Best Practices

From my list on Django for building solid web apps in Python.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been dabbling in Python for the last 22 years. I am a regular speaker at Pycon India ever since its inception. Most of my talks are related to Django. I host arunrocks.com where I write tutorials, and articles and publish screencasts on several Django and Python topics. My initial screencast titled "Building a blog in 30 mins with Django" is one of the most popular screencasts for beginners in Django. I’m a developer member of the Django Software Foundation.

Arun's book list on Django for building solid web apps in Python

Arun Ravindran Why did Arun love this book?

A beginner-friendly book with very clear writing. Vincent has several books on Django aimed at different levels of expertise. This one has a clear and instructional approach to building simple web applications. It is a little light on concepts and explanation of the requirements, probably intentionally, for which you can rely on other books.

By William S. Vincent,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Django for Beginners as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Completely updated for Django 4.0.

Django for Beginners is a project-based introduction to Django, the popular Python-based web framework. Suitable for total beginners who have never built a website before as well as professional programmers looking for a fast-paced guide to modern web development and Django fundamentals.

In the book you’ll learn how to:

Build 5 websites from scratch, including a Blog and Newspaper website Deploy online using security best practices Customize the look and feel of your sites Write tests and run them for all your code Integrate user authentication, email, and custom user models Add permissions and authorizations…


Book cover of Lightweight Django: Using REST, WebSockets, and Backbone

Arun Ravindran Author Of Django Design Patterns and Modern Best Practices

From my list on Django for building solid web apps in Python.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been dabbling in Python for the last 22 years. I am a regular speaker at Pycon India ever since its inception. Most of my talks are related to Django. I host arunrocks.com where I write tutorials, and articles and publish screencasts on several Django and Python topics. My initial screencast titled "Building a blog in 30 mins with Django" is one of the most popular screencasts for beginners in Django. I’m a developer member of the Django Software Foundation.

Arun's book list on Django for building solid web apps in Python

Arun Ravindran Why did Arun love this book?

This is a very well-written book that covers some less covered areas like how to write the most minimal Django application or integrating with Tornado server. The book is short and quite engaging. This is not exactly a book for an impatient beginner as it takes time to build the concepts. Also, the book might be a bit dated since it was last updated in 2014.

By Julia Elman, Mark Lavin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lightweight Django as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How can you take advantage of the Django framework to integrate complex client-side interactions and real-time features into your web applications? Through a series of rapid application development projects, this hands-on book shows experienced Django developers how to include REST APIs, WebSockets, and client-side MVC frameworks such as Backbone.js into new or existing projects. Learn how to make the most of Django's decoupled design by choosing the components you need to build the lightweight applications you want. Once you finish this book, you'll know how to build single-page applications that respond to interactions in real time. If you're familiar with…


Book cover of High Performance Django

Arun Ravindran Author Of Django Design Patterns and Modern Best Practices

From my list on Django for building solid web apps in Python.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been dabbling in Python for the last 22 years. I am a regular speaker at Pycon India ever since its inception. Most of my talks are related to Django. I host arunrocks.com where I write tutorials, and articles and publish screencasts on several Django and Python topics. My initial screencast titled "Building a blog in 30 mins with Django" is one of the most popular screencasts for beginners in Django. I’m a developer member of the Django Software Foundation.

Arun's book list on Django for building solid web apps in Python

Arun Ravindran Why did Arun love this book?

Building scalable and performant web applications is both an art and a science. This book focused on such techniques and hence goes beyond what most books on Django try to cover. Anyone running a Django site under heavy load will definitely learn a few tips from this book. However, it is light on explanations and expects you to figure out many things from reading the examples.

By Peter Baumgartner, Yann Malet,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked High Performance Django as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Python Distilled

Naomi R. Ceder Author Of The Quick Python Book

From my list on to level up your Python skills.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been teaching and writing Python code (and managing others while they write Python code) for over 20 years. After all that time Python is still my tool of choice, and many times Python is the key part of how I explore and think about problems. My experience as a teacher also has prompted me to dig in and look for the simplest way of understanding and explaining the elegant way that Python features fit together. 

Naomi's book list on to level up your Python skills

Naomi R. Ceder Why did Naomi love this book?

Dave is the best teacher of programming and how programming languages (and Python specifically) work that I’ve ever met. He has a knack for making explanations of tough concepts seem clear, and he is very good at focusing on what’s essential to using a coding technique or structure and how to write good code. Like all of Dave’s books, the stuff in here just makes sense.

By David Beazley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Python Distilled as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Expert Insight for Modern Python (3.6+) Development from the Author of Python Essential Reference

The richness of modern Python challenges developers at all levels. How can programmers who are new to Python know where to begin without being overwhelmed? How can experienced Python developers know they're coding in a manner that is clear and effective? How does one make the jump from learning about individual features to thinking in Python at a deeper level? Dave Beazley's new Python Distilled addresses these and many other real-world issues.

Focusing on Python 3.6 and higher, this concise handbook focuses on the essential core…


Book cover of Python for Everybody: Exploring Data in Python 3

Daniel Zingaro Author Of Learn to Code by Solving Problems: A Python Programming Primer

From my list on for a rock solid python programming foundation.

Why am I passionate about this?

Some programmers learn through online articles, videos, and blog posts. Not me. I need a throughline—a consistent, expert distillation of the material to take me from where I am to where I want to be. I am not good at patching together information from disparate sources. I need a great book. I have a PhD in computer science education, and I want to know what helps people learn. More importantly, I want to know how we can use such discoveries to write more effective books. The books I appreciate most are those that demonstrate not only mastery of the subject matter but also mastery of teaching.

Daniel's book list on for a rock solid python programming foundation

Daniel Zingaro Why did Daniel love this book?

Learning to program is hard. We need teachers who remember this, who are patient, who support the learning process, who not only know how to teach but also know how to learn from their teaching. Severance is all of these things. I like the breezy but precise writing, sections on debugging, glossaries and exercises in each chapter, and discussion of common learner errors. Bonus feature: regular expressions.

By Charles R. Severance,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Python for Everybody as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Python for Everybody is designed to introduce students to programming and software development through the lens of exploring data. You can think of the Python programming language as your tool to solve data problems that are beyond the capability of a spreadsheet.

Python is an easy to use and easy to learn programming language that is freely available on Macintosh, Windows, or Linux computers. So once you learn Python you can use it for the rest of your career without needing to purchase any software.

This book uses the Python 3 language. The earlier Python 2 version of this book…


Book cover of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners

Christopher Trudeau Author Of Django in Action

From my list on books for coders shelf.

Why am I passionate about this?

My first computer was an early IBM PC back when all my friends had Commodores they used for gaming. Not being able to share their games meant I had to do something else, so I read the Introduction to Basic book that came in the box. I’ve been coding, reading about coding, writing about coding, teaching about coding, and talking about coding ever since. The world of technology moves so fast that it is hard to keep up. If you’ve taken one of my courses or listened to The Real Python Podcast, I hope you’ve heard about my passion for the topic. 

Christopher's book list on books for coders shelf

Christopher Trudeau Why did Christopher love this book?

When I work with students new to programming I often find they struggle with translating the toy problems in exercises to actually doing something in the real world.

I love this book and frequently recommend it to new programmers because it is centered around problems. Coding should be about making your life easier. At the beginning, the problems are small, but by the end, you’re learning about email, PDFs, and GUIs.

Sweigart has a great voice, and reading this feels like being guided by a friend rather than yet another coding textbook.

By Al Sweigart,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Automate the Boring Stuff with Python as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this second edition of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, you'll learn the basics of programming in Python, the fastest growing programming language today, before moving on to create Python programs that effortlessly perform useful and impressive feats of automation. This updated edition is full of step-by-step instructions that walk through each programme. Practice projects at the end of each chapter challenge you to improve those programmes and use your newfound skills to automate similar tasks.


Book cover of Introduction to Machine Learning with Python: A Guide for Data Scientists

Yuxi (Hayden) Liu Author Of Python Machine Learning By Example: Build intelligent systems using Python, TensorFlow 2, PyTorch, and scikit-learn

From my list on machine learning for beginners.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a machine learning engineer applying my ML expertise in computational advertising, and search domain. I am an author of 8 machine learning books. My first book was ranked the #1 bestseller in its category on Amazon in 2017 and 2018 and was translated into many languages. I am also a ML education enthusiast and used to teach ML courses in Toronto, Canada.  

Yuxi's book list on machine learning for beginners

Yuxi (Hayden) Liu Why did Yuxi love this book?

This book is more advanced than the first book I recommended. It presents ML theoretical and practical aspects step-by-step from the bottom up. Each chapter elaborates at length on a core building block in the ML life cycle. For example, feature engineering, supervised learning, and model evaluation have their own separate chapters, with intuitive discussions of how they work. Most of the concept is taught through the simple yet powerful Python Module Scikit-Learn so it won’t overburden you with heavy programming. This book will be perfect for practitioners with some understanding of statistics and linear algebra.

By Andreas C. Müller, Sarah Guido,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Introduction to Machine Learning with Python as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Machine learning has become an integral part of many commercial applications and research projects, but this field is not exclusive to large companies with extensive research teams. If you use Python, even as a beginner, this book will teach you practical ways to build your own machine learning solutions. With all the data available today, machine learning applications are limited only by your imagination. You'll learn the steps necessary to create a successful machine-learning application with Python and the scikit-learn library. Authors Andreas Muller and Sarah Guido focus on the practical aspects of using machine learning algorithms, rather than the…


Book cover of The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery

Chris Zimmerman Author Of The Rules of Programming: How to Write Better Code

From my list on programming for people who want to be good at it.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve spent most of my life writing code—and too much of that life teaching new programmers how to write code like a professional. If it’s true that you only truly understand something after teaching it to someone else, then at this point I must really understand programming! Unfortunately, that understanding has not led to an endless stream of bug-free code, but it has led to some informed opinions on programming and books about programming.

Chris' book list on programming for people who want to be good at it

Chris Zimmerman Why did Chris love this book?

This book’s title is absolutely perfect! There’s no agenda here other than identifying things that will make you a more effective and productive programmer.

That leads to a book packed with solid advice, whether it’s about how to write code or how to think about your career. The authors are consultants, so there are plenty of clear and interesting examples drawn from many different problem domains. That’s super fun for someone like me who’s hyper-focused on a single kind of programming.

By David Thomas, Andrew Hunt,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Pragmatic Programmer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"One of the most significant books in my life." -Obie Fernandez, Author, The Rails Way

"Twenty years ago, the first edition of The Pragmatic Programmer completely changed the trajectory of my career. This new edition could do the same for yours." -Mike Cohn, Author of Succeeding with Agile , Agile Estimating and Planning , and User Stories Applied

". . . filled with practical advice, both technical and professional, that will serve you and your projects well for years to come." -Andrea Goulet, CEO, Corgibytes, Founder, LegacyCode.Rocks

". . . lightning does strike twice, and this book is proof." -VM…


Book cover of Python Testing with Pytest: Simple, Rapid, Effective, and Scalable

Jaime Buelta Author Of Python Automation Cookbook

From my list on for Python and non-Python developers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I was a kid, I’ve been passionate about technology and had a clear vocation to work with computers. I’ve been a developer for more than 20 years now, spending half of them mainly in the Python environment, and I’ve always been interested in improving my skills. While it’s true that software development is a field that changes constantly and technology evolves at great speed, there are some elements that remain relatively unchanged and can be used to compound knowledge and ability. In particular, the elements that are closer to the human element, teamwork, coordination, etc. are quite stable over time.

Jaime's book list on for Python and non-Python developers

Jaime Buelta Why did Jaime love this book?

While this is a Python-specific book, it’s a fantastic description of all the possibilities for testing with a powerful module like Pytest offers. Testing is one of the basic experiences for a programmer, as it should be included as a core part of the development process. Understanding all the different options available like mark groups of tests, parametric tests, building your own extensions, or test coverage, to name only a few details, expands the understanding of how to design better tests and run them more efficiently.

By Brian Okken,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Python Testing with Pytest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do less work when testing your Python code, but be just as expressive, just as elegant, and just as readable. The pytest testing framework helps you write tests quickly and keep them readable and maintainable - with no boilerplate code. Using a robust yet simple fixture model, it's just as easy to write small tests with pytest as it is to scale up to complex functional testing for applications, packages, and libraries. This book shows you how. For Python-based projects, pytest is the undeniable choice to test your code if you're looking for a full-featured, API-independent, flexible, and extensible testing…


Book cover of Two Scoops of Django: Best Practices for the Django Web Framework 1st Edition
Book cover of Django for Beginners
Book cover of Lightweight Django: Using REST, WebSockets, and Backbone

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