When it comes to creating websites, there are literally dozens of website builders to choose from. This can quickly become a long a tedious task to pick one.
But if you already have a rough idea that you are wanting to use either Drupal or Django, then you’ve come to the right place.
In this guide, I will do a Drupal Vs Django comparison so you can see what provider is best for your needs!
Drupal Vs Django (Which Is Best + Pros & Cons)
User Base for Drupal Vs Django Over Time
Below are both the user bases for each platform and also the marketshare for each platform. While these are so called “vanity metrics”, it gives a good insight to the market of the platforms.
Drupal:
- Used on over 380,000 websites
- Approximately 0.5% of all sites currently live
Django:
- Used on almost 78,000 websites
- Approximately 0.1% of all sites currently live
But what do these statistics really mean? In a direct side by side comparison, it may automatically mean that Drupal is better than Django right? What these statistics do not consider is the types of users that are using the framework.
When you look at the search queries, Django beats Drupal by almost 200% within United States queries, over the last 12 months. This means that there are more individual searches related to Django.
Individuals with the skills to use Django may possibly be more inclined to use it then Drupal. As you will see there are some significant differences between the two. These differences are what will help to explain the discrepancy between the statistics.
What is Drupal?
Drupal is a website building framework that allows users to control how their website will appear and interact with the visitor.
Drupal is a powerful website content management software that is flexible enough for novice web publishing while offering enough customization to build some of the most in-depth and multi-faceted websites. Let’s look at what Drupal has to offer.
Features of Drupal:
- It’s FREE!!
- User-friendly – Drupal provides tools for even the most inexperienced website owner to have the ability to construct a professional dynamic website. Editing directly on the website is also an option.
- “Out of the box” options – this refers to content management software that can be published quickly with only a few personalized options. This is especially important for websites that need to be published quickly, with a little customization, such as blog sites, or information based sites.
- Scalable – Drupal has been proven to have the capacity to handle different websites, from newer low traffic sites to dynamic high traffic sites. Drupal’s scalability grows with you.
- Responsive site structure – the most important aspect of website development is the ability to adjust to the users viewing choice. Responsive sites automatically adjust when being viewed on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet.
- Integrated Apps – Drupal is dedicated to API for seamless website operation even when changes to the website are made.
- Flexible – Drupal offers customizing options by administrative interface or for more advanced developers, there are direct programming functions as well
- No Limitations – Whether it wanting to run multiple websites, or complete autonomy of how the website is structured, Drupal places zero limitations on its users.
If you want to get started with your very own website, you can check out my UK web hosting guide to find the best host for your needs. I’ve also written a post on the best WordPress hosts if Drupal isn’t the right fit for you.
What is Django?
Django is a website framework that uses the Python programming language to allow more experienced web developers to create websites. Django has been built by website engineers to provide web developers with a fast and responsive option for building a website from the ground up.
While Django is not specifically geared for individuals with little or no programming understanding, their easy to use software and in-depth tutorials may allow individuals the ability to learn the necessary skills. Let’s look at what Django has to offer.
Features of Django:
- It’s FREE!!
- Includes a Python written database layout featuring the data-model syntax
- Integrated API built right in, no need to code for it
- Ability to create an interactive administrative interface
- Customizable URLs – Django offers users the ability to create custom URLs for sites that do not include extensions that people prefer to avoid such as .php or .asp. The framework included simple to use mapping functions to link apps, which in turn help to speed up websites for increased visitor usability.
- A fully loaded template system – Django offers tons of templates for building websites with pre-codes elements, or even entire websites. This makes Django possible for non-programmers to use as well.
- Customizable and savable templates – for those that run multiple websites, there is no need to do all of the work over for each site. Django offers the option to create personalized templates and export them to multiple websites.
- Caching framework – included with Django is a fully integrated cache system in the backend of the website.
- RSS feeds are easily integrated using the included syndication possibilities
Pros and Cons of Using Drupal
In order to fully understand the advantages and potential downsides to using Drupal, we’ve put together these pros and cons to lay out some of the most common issues that may help you decide if Drupal will meet your specific needs.
Pros:
- Free and Open Source – this means that anyone can use the Drupal content management system on their website.
- User-Friendly – Even the most inexperienced web developers can use Drupal to a professional website that is responsive and dynamic. Drupal is a particularly good platform for first-time website owners that want to handle their site themselves instead of incurring the cost of outsourcing web development.
- Content flexibility – Drupal is a great pathway to creating many different types of content. Websites that use Drupal range from simple blogs to massive e-commerce sites. There are ways to integrate forums, news feeds, or almost anything you can image seamlessly into your website.
- Scalable – Drupal is designed to grow with your website. The platform can allow you to manage your website with a user-friendly administrative backend no matter how large of a sitemap you create.
- Multilingual – Whether you have a need for working in a language other than English or need to be able to provide content that is available in multiple languages, in Drupal the functionality is automatically built into the framework without the need for a specialized plugin like many other content management systems.
Cons:
- Some Coding Skills – Drupal is not a framework built for individuals with no basic understanding of coding or at minimum a desire to learn, and the learning curve can be quite large and time-consuming.
- Functional Difficulty – When moving an existing website to Drupal, there are some changeover functions that can be quite complicated or not merge at all, requiring complete reworking.
- Time Consuming – Drupal will not provide a live website in a matter of seconds unless you want only the absolute bare minimum of functions and plugins. And many of the best plugins compatible are paid plugins, not free.
- Not Retroactively Compatible – Unfortunately individuals that used older versions of Drupal and failed to follow the updated as they came out are going to run into issues if they attempt to make a jump to newer versions. The newest versions are not retroactively compatible which could mean having to essentially recreate older content.
- Slower Speeds – The vast extensions and plugins that are needed in order for Drupal to function at top performance may impact site speeds.
- Module Interactions – for non-programmers, the issues that may arise from incompatible modules may cause the entire Drupal Core to crash.
Pros and Cons of Using Django
Now let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of using Django as the dedicated framework for a website
Pros:
- Free and Open Source – Just like Drupal, Django is a free and open sourced option for web design
- Uses Python Language – web developers know that the language used to code has a huge impact on the ease with which the initial coding can be completed as well as how easy it can be to make any necessary changes to the content.
- Top of the Line Security Features – Django includes some of the best SQL, cross-scripting, and targeted security in the market.
- MVC Programming – Keeping user-interface and backend administration separate helps to ensure increase website speed. Django also offers flexibility by allowing it to be transferred across different projects.
- Compatibility – Django is available for use on most platforms including Windows and Mac. Even Linux users can benefit from being able to utilize Django on their devices.
- Scalability – There is no limit to how far a website can grow. Django places no restrictions on its users in regard to size, content, or website structure. If you build it, you can publish it.
- Large Site Functionality – Django can shine when it comes to successfully operating a site with tons of traffic.
- Routine Codes Provided – There is no need to reinvent the wheel when including common options in a website. Functions such as URL routing and database control are provided eliminating the need to rewrite the code for these actions.
Cons:
- Not for Non-Programmers – Django requires significantly more understanding of programming, specifically using the language Python in order to construct the framework of a website.
- Not Great for Small Sites – the in-depth programming require with Django takes too much time and slows down the performance of smaller sites that may outweigh any possible benefit
- Singularly Focused – Django tends to be finicky and runs into issues when too many operations are being executed at the same time.
- Complex Programming for Simple Tasks – By nature, Django makes seemingly simple tasks extremely complex and complicated, which costs valuable time, and potentially money, particularly for less knowledgeable programmers.
How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Needs
Now that we have outlined both Drupal and Django, it is time to decide which one is right for you. Some things to consider before making your decision include:
Type of Website: the type of website you are looking to build may have a huge impact on which framework you choose to build the site. Content only sites have significantly less complicated structure than multi-level, user interactive sites. Keep these things in mind before choosing.
Potential Traffic: High traffic is desired by most website owners; however, you need to consider not only the level of traffic but how they will interact with your website. Larger sites with many different actionable options require an extremely dynamic and responsive framework to handle the load.
Plugin Options/Needs: The options that you need or want to include may limit your options. This is especially important if you want/need to include specific plugins, such as an e-commerce or RSS feed plugin that may not be compatible with every framework builder.