31 books like Two Scoops of Django

By Daniel Roy Greenfeld, Audrey Roy Greenfeld,

Here are 31 books that Two Scoops of Django fans have personally recommended if you like Two Scoops of Django. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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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 Mastering 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?

Another book with a detailed coverage of the Django web framework. This is a revised book written originally by Adrian Holovaty and Jacob Kaplan-Moss—the creators of Django themselves. Hence the initial chapters are an excellent in-depth description of how Django works. The remaining parts of the books go into intermediate and advanced topics.

By Nigel George,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Mastering Django is the latest version of Mastering Django: Core—the original, best-selling programmer’s reference for Django.

Mastering Django is not just a revision of the original book—it has been completely rewritten from the ground up to meet the needs of modern Django programmers.

The main goal of this book is to make you a Django expert. By reading this book, you’ll learn the skills needed to develop powerful websites quickly, with code that is clean and easy to maintain.

This book is also a programmer’s manual that provides complete coverage of modern Django version 3 and above.

For developers creating…


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 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 Fluent Python: Clear, Concise, and Effective Programming

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?

Luciano’s book is one of the most complete discussions of the ins and outs of Python that I’ve seen. He is fascinated by coding in general and it comes across as he explores the ways Python is similar to (and different from) other language paradigms. This is the book I take out if I’m starting to dig in and explore a feature of Python, and if you want to understand the details beneath the details, this is the book for you. 

By Luciano Ramalho,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Learn how to write idiomatic, effective Python code by leveraging its best features. Python's simplicity quickly lets you become productive with it, but this often means you aren't using everything the language has to offer. By taking you through Python's key language features and libraries, this practical book shows you how to make your code shorter, faster, and more readable all at the same time--what experts consider "Pythonic."Many programmers who learn Python basics fall into the trap of reinventing the wheel because of past experience in other languages, and try to bend the language to patterns that don't really apply…


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 Cleaning Data for Effective Data Science: Doing the other 80% of the work with Python, R, and command-line tools

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?

I like this book not just because it’s a complete guide to the many ins and outs of data cleaning with Python, but also because David lays out the types of problems and the issues behind them. There are always trade-offs in data cleaning and this book lays out those trade-offs better than any other I’ve seen. This is one of the few books that as I go through it, I struggle to think of anything that could have been said better. 

By David Mertz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cleaning Data for Effective Data Science as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Think about your data intelligently and ask the right questions

Key Features Master data cleaning techniques necessary to perform real-world data science and machine learning tasks Spot common problems with dirty data and develop flexible solutions from first principles Test and refine your newly acquired skills through detailed exercises at the end of each chapterBook Description

Data cleaning is the all-important first step to successful data science, data analysis, and machine learning. If you work with any kind of data, this book is your go-to resource, arming you with the insights and heuristics experienced data scientists had to learn the…


Book cover of Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python: Best Practices for Writing Clean Code

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?

Al is one of the clearest writers on Python that I know. Here he distills his experience as both a working software engineer and a successful author to take coders from advanced beginner/intermediate level on to all of the “extra” knowledge one needs to write good code for practical use. When I read this book I find myself wishing I could write with such simplicity.

By Al Sweigart,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

You're a student who wants to jumpstart their career with practical skills, or you're a self-taught beginner who has learned all you can from beginner programmer books and coding bootcamps. Now you're looking for the next step to becoming a real-world professional programmer so you can create your own apps and get started with your career. If that fits, then this book is for you! This book is perfect for self-taught programmers looking for the stuff intro books don't teach you and students wanting to get practical information before getting started with applying their new programming skills.


Book cover of Practices of the Python Pro

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?

Dane covers the more advanced topics a programmer needs to be successful as a professional. In particular, he has good discussions of the basics of software design – things like separation of concerns, encapsulation, testing, and performance, as well as some of the issues involved with creating and maintaining large-scale systems. This is the book that I wish I’d had early in my coding career. 

By Dane Hillard,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Summary
Professional developers know the many benefits of writing application code that’s clean, well-organized, and easy to maintain. By learning and following established patterns and best practices, you can take your code and your career to a new level.
With Practices of the Python Pro, you’ll learn to design professional-level, clean, easily maintainable software at scale using the incredibly popular programming language, Python. You’ll find easy-to-grok examples that use pseudocode and Python to introduce software development best practices, along with dozens of instantly useful techniques that will help you code like a pro.

Purchase of the print book includes a…


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

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