After a month of intensive learning and hands-on development, I'm excited to share my journey of building skoll.dev using Django. What started as a simple idea to create a resume site has evolved into a full-fledged web application that's taught me invaluable lessons about web development. The Learning Phase My Django journey began with diving deep into the framework's architecture. Django's "batteries included" approach initially seemed overwhelming, but as I progressed, I came to appreciate its robust features and well-thought-out structure. Through documentation and video tutorials, I gradually built a solid foundation in Django's core concepts. Project Structure and Setup One of my first major decisions was making the project modular. This approach has paid dividends as the site grew, allowing me to: Separate concerns into distinct apps Maintain cleaner code organization Scale features independently The initial setup involved creating the project structure and configuring essential settings. I learned to use python-environ for managing environment variables, a crucial step for maintaining security and flexibility across different deployment environments. Authentication and User Management Implementing user authentication was a significant milestone. Django's built-in authentication system proved powerful, but I needed to understand: User model customization Login/logout functionality Permission management Creating superuser accounts for admin access Views and URL Patterns Building views taught me the importance of proper URL structuring. I created a hierarchical URL pattern where: Each app maintains its own urls.py The main project urls.py acts as a router URL patterns follow RESTful principles This structure makes the codebase more maintainable and scalable. Static Files and Frontend Integration Managing static files was another learning curve. I had to: Configure static file serving Organize CSS, JavaScript, and image assets Implement proper caching strategies Ensure efficient loading of resources Backend Integration The most exciting part was implementing custom backend functionality. I integrated: Twilio for real-time notifications Custom message handling for user communications Task management systems Admin interfaces for content management Key Takeaways Django's learning curve is steep but rewarding Proper project structure is crucial for maintainability Django's admin interface is a powerful tool for content management Environment variables are essential for security and deployment Modular design pays off in the long run Looking Forward Building skoll.dev has been an incredible learning experience. Not only have I created a functional resume site, but I've also gained practical experience with one of the most powerful web frameworks available. As I continue to add features and improvements, I'm excited to explore more of what Django has to offer. Remember, the best way to learn is by doing. If you're considering learning Django, I encourage you to jump in and start building. The documentation is excellent, the community is supportive, and the satisfaction of seeing your project come to life is unmatched.