January 27, 2026
When boring steals the show
Notes on Starting to Use Django
Django’s “boring” wins big: less magic, more sanity, internet cheers
TLDR: A dev tried Django and loved its clear setup, built-in admin, and easy database updates. Commenters rallied behind “boring but stable,” debated Django’s clarity versus Rails’ magic, and joked that even AI builds Django apps—proof that predictability is winning hearts and projects.
A developer gushes over learning Django—the long‑running web toolkit—and the comments instantly turn into a victory parade for “boring tech”. The author praises Django’s clear layout, built‑in admin dashboard, and an “ORM” (a tool that writes database queries for you) that feels like magic without the mystery. Cue applause: one fan calls it “objectively the most productive ‘boring technology’”, while another says Django’s less “magic” than Rails finally makes them curious.
The drama? It’s the age‑old showdown: mysterious wizardry vs. visible screws. Rails, loved for shortcuts and conventions, gets side‑eyed for being hard to revisit months later. Commenters rally behind the author’s confession that they abandon projects and return later—Django’s explicit files make that doable without crying into your keyboard. Meanwhile, Django’s “batteries included” vibe (lots of useful tools built‑in) has devs swooning.
Humor shows up fast: one commenter cracks that even AI is on board—“Claude Code” can already whip up simple CRUD apps (the basic add/edit/delete screens). Between jokes about robots building backends and cheers for painless migrations (automatic database updates), the thread’s mood is clear: predictable beats flashy. Today’s hot take? Boring tech is the new rockstar—and Django’s headlining.
Key Points
- •The author started learning Django to build a website and values its explicit, easy-to-navigate structure.
- •Django’s core project files (urls.py, models.py, views.py, admin.py, tests.py) make it simpler to locate functionality and references.
- •The built-in Django admin enables quick creation of an admin interface, customizable via ModelAdmin options like list_display and search_fields.
- •Django’s ORM uses double underscores to traverse relationships across tables, aided by ManyToManyField definitions, reducing the need for raw SQL.
- •Automatic migrations generated from model changes have worked reliably for the author and support frequent data model evolution; Django’s documentation is also praised.