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FAQ for Two Scoops of Django 3.x

How much does it cost?

The ebook sells for US$49.95. Site licenses are also available.

For now it's just the PDF but you'll get the epub and mobi files if and when they come out. You will also get all updates to Two Scoops of Django 3.x.

When was this e-book release released?

The alpha version was released on May 11th, 2020.

What do you mean by "alpha" or "beta"?

The book is still being updated. There will be formatting issues. Some areas may be incorrect or unclear. Not all chapters will be available, please examine the table of contents.

What does 3.x mean?

It means that this book is going to support Django's 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 LTS releases. This means this book will be for a supported version (3.2) of Django until April 1, 2024.

Which edition is this book?

This is the 5th edition of Two Scoops of Django. We have released the following editions:

  1. 1.5 (2013)
  2. 1.6 (2014) - first time reached Amazon best seller status
  3. 1.8 (2015)
  4. 1.11 (2017)
  5. 3.x (2020)

What formats?

For e-books, we're starting with PDF. If we find a publisher they can adapt our effort to ePub and mobi formats.

For print, again we're leaning on finding a publisher. If you represent an interested publisher, please contact us at hi@feldroy.com.

When will the print edition come out?

That's up to a publisher picking up this book.

Is this a Django tutorial?

If you want a Django tutorial, please consider our Django Crash Course instead. That is a guided walkthrough where we build a real, production-quality Django web application from the ground up. Designed to build solid foundations with Django fast, it's the perfect book for getting ready for the more advanced content in Two Scoops of Django.

Two Scoops of Django is NOT for beginners just starting out. Rather, it is meant for people who are at least building their first project.

I've never programmed before. Is this book for me?

We recommend you learn the basics of Python and Django programming first. Spend a weekend with tutorials such as Learn Python the Hard Way or Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, then pick up Django Crash Course. Then you should read Two Scoops of Django.

Can you recommend a Django tutorial?

Yes! We published our own tutorial, the Django Crash Course.

How big will Two Scoops of Django 3.x be?

When complete, we anticipate it being around 540 pages.

Can I order an autographed copy?

We've done this before, so it is an interesting question. This time we're not doing a print version ourselves. If a publisher picks up this book and prints it, then we'll revisit this question. If you represent an interested publisher, please contact us at hi@feldroy.com.

I'm in Iran, how can I buy the book?

Due to circumstances beyond our control we cannot legally do business with residents or organizations based in Iran.

When will the final version come out?

We don't have a good answer. In addition to being parents, we are really busy with work. Audrey is the executive director of Margarita Humanitarian Foundation and Daniel is the head of engineering for Octopus Energy USA. Every few months they send out an update, but there isn't a concrete schedule.

If I purchased the Alpha e-book, do I get access to the Beta and Final versions?

Yes, e-book purchasers get access to all subsequent versions of the 3.x edition of Two Scoops of Django.

What happens if I use up all my downloads?

If you use up all your downloads you can email us to get them reset back to five (5).

Also, any time we update our books, we reset the download count back to five.

I bought an earlier version. Do I get a discount?

If you think of this book as a monthly subscription service where you buy new editions every few years, you will see that Two Scoops of Django is an amazing deal. For example, if you bought the 1.11 edition just six months ago at US$42.95, that's like paying US$7.15/month for the content of the book. If you bought at launch in 2017, then you've paid US$1.19/month.

Based on this, we should move to a subscription-style service. However, the book industry (Amazon, Flipkart, etc), doesn't allow for subscription service. Furthermore, we want to work on other things besides Two Scoops of Django. That's how we keep our skills sharp enough to write about them!

In any case, what this tells us that we're selling our knowledge at a bargain, that there is no need for discounts for previous buyers. We want to raise our baby daughter well and use proceeds to help fund our open source work.

What about Django 4 and 5?

Short answer: If there is a next edition, it will be for Django 5. We're skipping Django 4.

Long answer: Per Django's official list of supported versions, 4 won't be coming out until early 2022. Django 3.2 LTS remains supported until 2024, well after Django 4.0 is deprecated. Therefore, if there is another edition it won't be until Django 5.0 is released.

Will there be any translations? 

Perhaps if a publisher picks up the book. If you represent an interested publisher, please contact us at hi@feldroy.com.

Who are the authors?

Daniel and Audrey Roy Greenfeld are long-time authors and experienced software engineers each with decades of programming experience at MIT, NASA, Microsoft, SharpCast, and more. Audrey is the executive director of Margarita Humanitarian Foundation and Daniel is the head of engineering for Octopus Energy USA. In 2018 they were given the Frank Willison Community Award for their contributions to the Python programming language. In addition to writing Two Scoops of Django, they created:

Can we see the table of contents?

This is subject to change. Bold chapter/appendix names are what is currently in the e-book. The unbolded chapters will be included as fast as we can update them. 
  1. Coding Style
  2. The Optimal Django Environment Setup
  3. How To Lay Out Django Projects
  4. Fundamentals of Django App Design
  5. Settings and Requirements Files
  6. Model Best Practices
  7. Queries and the Database Layer
  8. Function- and Class-Based Views
  9. Best Practices for Function-Based Views
  10. Best Practices for Class-Based Views
  11. Asynchronous Views (3.1+)
  12. Form Fundamentals
  13. Common Patterns for Forms
  14. Templates: Best Practices
  15. Template Tags and Filters
  16. Django Templates and Jinja2
  17. Building APIs with Django Rest Framework
  18. Building GraphQL APIs
  19. JavaScript and Django
  20. Tradeoffs of Replacing Core Components
  21. Working With the Django Admin
  22. Dealing with the User Model
  23. Django's Secret Sauce: Third-Party Packages
  24. Testing Chapter of Doom!
  25. Documentation: Be Obsessed
  26. Finding and Reducing Bottlenecks
  27. Asynchronous Task Queues
  28. Security Best Practices
  29. Logging: Tips and Tools
  30. Signals: Use Cases and Avoidance Techniques
  31. What About Those Random Utilities?
  32. Deployment: Platforms as a Service
  33. Deploying Django Projects
  34. Continuous Integration
  35. The Art of Debugging
  36. Where and How to Ask Django Questions
  37. Closing Thoughts

Appendixes

  • Packages Mentioned In This Book
  • Troubleshooting
  • Additional Resources
  • Internationalization and Localization
  • Project Layout Alternatives
  • Settings Alternatives 
  • Channels and Websockets