# Python Django > Django standards for views/URLs, ORM, migrations, DRF serializers, split settings, and management commands Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/python-django-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/python-django-2` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/python-django-2/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/python-django-2 --- Full standards in [python-django.md](python-django.md). Always-on summary: **Project structure:** - Split settings into `settings/base.py`, `settings/local.py`, `settings/production.py` - One app per domain concept — never put all models in a single `models.py` monolith - Use `apps/` subdirectory; register apps with dotted path `apps.users.apps.UsersConfig` **Models and ORM:** - Always define `__str__`, `class Meta` with `ordering`, and explicit `related_name` on FK/M2M - Use `select_related('user', 'product')` for FK traversal, `prefetch_related` for reverse/M2M — never N+1 - Wrap multi-step writes in `transaction.atomic()`; use `select_for_update()` for locking **DRF serializers:** - Use `ModelSerializer` with explicit `fields = [...]` — never use the magic all-fields shorthand - Validate in `validate_` or `validate()`; raise `serializers.ValidationError` - Use `SerializerMethodField` for computed read-only fields **Views/URLs:** - Prefer `APIView` or `ViewSet` + `DefaultRouter` for REST endpoints - Use `permission_classes` and `authentication_classes` explicitly per view - Keep URL patterns in `urls.py` per app; `include()` them from the root `urls.py` **Migrations:** - Never edit migration files by hand; use `makemigrations --name ` - Add `db_index=True` via the model field, not raw SQL migrations - Provide `reverse` functions in `RunPython` migrations or mark `atomic=False` carefully **Never:** - Never use `print()` — use `logging.getLogger(__name__)` - Never put secrets in `settings/base.py` — use `environ` or `django-environ` - Never use broad exception catches — always catch the specific exception type or re-raise **Related skills:** error-handling, logging-standards, database-sql, api-conventions --- > Source: [manikumarkv/devrunway-claude-plugin](https://github.com/manikumarkv/devrunway-claude-plugin) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).