10 Best Django Courses & Certifications Online in 2026

Last updated: November 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.

QUICK VERDICT

Django is the “batteries-included” Python web framework behind Instagram and countless other production apps: a fast, secure way to build database-backed websites and APIs. It is a high-value skill for Python developers, but course listings are cluttered with tutorials built for Django 2 and 3. Django 6.1 is current (6.1.2 on 1 November 2026) and Django 5.2 LTS is supported until April 2028. Below are the ten Django courses and resources worth your time in 2026. We loaded every paid pick live on 1 November 2026 and show its rating, enrollment and last-updated date, so you can see which ones still match the current framework.

Why Learn Django?

Django’s appeal is that it gives you almost everything a web app needs out of the box: an ORM for your database, migrations, an admin interface, authentication, forms, security defaults against CSRF, SQL injection and XSS, and a clear project structure. You spend less time wiring up plumbing and more time building features, which is why it suits startups and large teams alike.

For a Python developer, Django is one of the most direct routes to full-stack and back-end roles, and Django REST framework (version 3.18 as of November 2026) is a standard choice for building APIs. Because the framework has real depth and evolves with each release, a structured, current course beats stitching together version-mismatched blog posts.

The Best Django Courses at a Glance

1. Python Django — The Practical Guide (Best Overall)

Maximilian Schwarzmüller’s course (published under Academind) is our pick for most learners. At 4.7 stars across 10,779 ratings, 68,562 students and a November 2025 update, it is both the highest-rated and the most current large Django course. It is project-based: you build real applications while learning models, views, templates, the ORM, forms, file uploads, sessions, class-based views, user authentication and deployment. Schwarzmüller is one of the most consistently clear instructors on Udemy and keeps his courses updated as frameworks change.

Watch for: it focuses on server-rendered Django. For APIs you will add Django REST framework afterwards, using DRF’s own tutorial (pick #8) or a dedicated DRF course.

2. Django for Everybody (University of Michigan, Coursera)

Charles Severance, whose Python for Everybody is one of the most taken programming courses online, teaches this four-course specialization from the University of Michigan. Coursera estimates about two months at 10 hours a week, and 89,972 learners had enrolled by 1 November 2026. It moves at a gentler pace than the Udemy picks and spends real time on how the web works (HTML, CSS, SQL and data modeling) before building Django applications with models, forms, views and templates, then adds JavaScript, jQuery and JSON on the front end.

It expects Python for Everybody or equivalent, and it issues a shareable University of Michigan certificate on the paid track. Coursera Plus, which includes it, costs $239 a year (normally $399). Pick it if a recognizable certificate matters or you want the fundamentals explained from first principles.

3. Django Official Tutorial (Best Free)

Do not overlook the free official option. The “Writing your first Django app” tutorial in the Django documentation is excellent, current with Django 6.1, and free. Across eight parts it builds a polls app, from models and the admin through views, templates, forms, testing and static files, and it is rewritten for each release. It is terser than a video course and assumes you are comfortable reading documentation, which is why many people pair it with a paid course. On r/django, “start with the official tutorial” is the most common answer to the best-resource question, and for a self-directed Python developer it is a complete starting point.

4. Zero To Mastery Django Bootcamp

ZTM’s Django Bootcamp runs about 8 hours across 106 lessons and has you build five projects, which makes it the most portfolio-oriented option here. It covers models and the ORM, URL routing, forms and validation, and the admin interface, and ZTM keeps it in its membership library alongside related courses in Python, SQL and data engineering. It is a good fit if you already subscribe to Zero To Mastery for other skills, or if you want several finished projects rather than one long build.

5. Educative: Become a Django Developer (Text-Based)

If you learn faster by reading and doing than by watching, Educative’s Become a Django Developer path runs entirely in the browser with interactive code widgets: no video and no local setup. It runs about 26.5 hours across 206 lessons and 58 quizzes. It suits experienced developers who want to move quickly and practice inline. Educative is subscription-based, so it is best value if you will use it across more than one topic.

6. IBM Django Application Development with SQL and Databases (edX)

IBM’s course on edX teaches Django with an emphasis on the data layer: SQL and relational databases, Django models and the ORM, and Bootstrap for the front end, ending with deploying a full-stack Django web application on the cloud. edX lists it at roughly 6–8 hours a week, and 15,544 learners had taken it by 1 November 2026. You can audit it for free or pay for a verified certificate from IBM. It is the best pick here if you want a credential with a recognizable company name on it and you care more about databases than front-end polish.

7. Codecademy: Build Python Web Apps with Django

Codecademy’s skill path is about 13 hours with six projects, all done in the browser. It is rated intermediate and assumes Python basics. It suits learners who like short interactive exercises with instant feedback. The certificate of completion requires a Plus or Pro plan. It covers less ground than the Udemy and Coursera picks, so treat it as a fast, hands-on introduction rather than a complete path.

8. Django Girls Tutorial + Django REST Framework Tutorial (Free Next Steps)

The Django Girls Tutorial is a free, beginner-friendly walkthrough that builds and deploys a blog, and it explains the surrounding pieces (the command line, Python, HTML, CSS and deployment) for people who are new to all of them. After the official tutorial, it is the natural second project. The Django REST framework tutorial then teaches serializers, views, viewsets, routers and authentication for APIs.

This exact sequence, official tutorial, then Django Girls, then the DRF tutorial, is the path experienced developers recommend most often on r/django for someone who wants to learn Django for free.

9. Corey Schafer Django Tutorials (Free, YouTube)

Corey Schafer’s 17-video Django series builds a full-featured blog application, from routes and templates through the admin, migrations, user registration, login, profiles with pictures, pagination, email password resets and AWS S3 file storage. It is the free video series Reddit recommends most for Django, because the explanations are concise and well prepared. The honest caveat is age: the series was recorded in 2018 and last updated in February 2019, on Django 2.x. The concepts hold up; some settings, imports and deployment steps have changed, so check them against the current docs as you go.

10. Python & Django Full-Stack Web Developer Bootcamp

Jose Portilla’s bootcamp is one of the most popular programming courses ever made, with 224,303 students and 52,281 ratings. It covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Bootstrap basics before Django, which makes it a gentle on-ramp for a complete beginner. The rating has slipped to 4.4 stars, and it was last updated in September 2019, so it predates Django 3, 4, 5 and 6. The core concepts transfer, but you will hit outdated syntax and deprecated patterns. We list it for its broad beginner coverage; if currency matters, take the Practical Guide instead.

A Free Django Learning Path, Step by Step

If you want to learn Django without paying for a course, this is the order that works, built from the official docs and the path r/django recommends most often. Allow six to eight weeks at five to ten hours a week if you already know Python.

• Week 1: the official tutorial, all eight parts. Type every line yourself rather than copying, and read the linked reference pages when something is unclear.
• Weeks 2–3: the Django Girls Tutorial. It repeats the core ideas on a different app (a blog) and adds deployment, which the official tutorial leaves out.
• Week 4: the Django REST framework tutorial, then turn your blog into an API with serializers and viewsets.
• Weeks 5–6: your own project. Pick something with users, a few related models and a search or filter page: a reading log, a recipe box or a small job board.
• Weeks 7–8: tests, a real database (PostgreSQL), environment variables for secrets, and deployment to a host of your choice.

Use Corey Schafer’s videos when you want to see a step done before trying it, and keep the Django docs open throughout. If you stall on the same concept for more than a few days, that is the moment a paid, structured course earns its price.

What to Build After Your First Django Course

Course projects prove you can follow instructions. A project of your own proves you can make decisions, which is what employers and clients look for. Three builds cover the skills Django roles ask about:

• A multi-user app with permissions. For example, a team task board where users see only their own team’s tasks. It exercises the ORM, authentication, permissions and class-based views.
• An API with a separate front end. A Django REST framework back end consumed by a small React or Vue app, with token authentication and pagination.
• Something deployed and maintained. Any app running on a real domain with a PostgreSQL database, static files served properly, and a test suite you run before each change.

Put each one on GitHub with a short README explaining the models and the decisions behind them. That repository will do more for a Django job application than any certificate on this page.

How to Choose the Right Django Course

Match the course to where you are. If you already know Python and want current, project-based depth, the Practical Guide is the clear choice. If you want a recognized certificate and a slower, fundamentals-first pace, take Django for Everybody. If you are disciplined and budget-conscious, the official tutorial, Django Girls and the DRF tutorial will take you a long way for free. If you want several portfolio projects quickly, ZTM’s bootcamp delivers five. And whatever you choose, build something of your own: Django rewards learning by shipping a small app end to end.

• Know Python, want one complete course: The Practical Guide.
• Want a certificate employers recognize: Django for Everybody (University of Michigan) or IBM on edX.
• Prefer reading to video: Educative.
• Want to spend nothing: official tutorial, Django Girls, DRF tutorial, Corey Schafer.
• Building APIs for a React or mobile front end: any core course, then the DRF tutorial.

What a Good Django Course Covers

Use this as a checklist when comparing courses. A complete Django course should take you through models and the ORM (defining data, migrations, querying, relationships), views and URL routing (both function-based views and the class-based views that trip up beginners), and templates with the Django template language. It should cover forms and validation, the built-in authentication and permissions system, and the admin interface that gives you a working back office for free.

Beyond the basics, look for Django REST framework (the standard way to build APIs), static and media files, testing, and a real deployment walkthrough; a course that stops before deployment leaves you unable to ship. The best courses also touch on security (Django’s protections against CSRF, SQL injection and XSS) and performance basics such as avoiding N+1 queries with select_related and prefetch_related. If a course skips APIs or deployment, treat it as an introduction rather than a complete path. Strong SQL helps too; our guide to the best SQL courses covers that side.

Django vs. Flask: Which Should You Learn?

It is the most common Python web question. Django is opinionated and full-featured: it makes many decisions for you (ORM, admin, authentication), which speeds up building conventional database-backed apps but gives you less freedom. Flask is a microframework: a minimal core where you assemble the pieces you want, which is great for small services and APIs and for learning how the parts fit together. Neither is better. Django suits larger, feature-rich applications and teams that value convention; Flask suits lightweight services and developers who want control.

Many Python developers eventually learn both. If you are starting from zero and want a job building web applications, Django’s conventions teach good structure early. For the lighter-weight alternative, see our guide to the best Flask courses. For the same comparison in other languages, see the best Laravel courses (PHP) and the best NestJS courses (TypeScript).

Which Django Version Should Your Course Use?

Django’s release numbering is changing, and it matters when you judge a course’s age. According to djangoproject.com on 1 November 2026, the latest release is Django 6.1.2. Django 5.2 is a long-term support (LTS) release with extended support until April 2028, and Django 6.0 receives security fixes until April 2027. Django 6.2, due in April 2027, will be the final release under the old A.B numbering; starting in 2028, feature releases will be named by year, ship every January, and each receive three years of support.

In practice: a course built on Django 4.2, 5.x or 6.x teaches syntax you can use today. A course built on Django 2.x or 3.x (Portilla’s bootcamp, Corey Schafer’s series) still teaches the right concepts, but expect to look up changes to URL routing, settings, async support and deployment.

Is There a Django Certification?

There is no official Django certification. The Django Software Foundation does not run an exam or issue certificates. The certificates you will see come from course providers: the University of Michigan through Coursera (Django for Everybody), IBM through edX, and certificates of completion from Udemy, ZTM, Educative and Codecademy. A university or IBM certificate carries more weight on a resume than a completion certificate, but for Django roles, what moves hiring decisions is a deployed application with clean models, authentication, tests and an API.

Django Courses — FAQ

What is the best Django course?

For most learners who already know Python, Python Django – The Practical Guide by Maximilian Schwarzmüller on Udemy: 4.7 stars from 10,779 ratings, 68,562 students, updated November 2025. If you want a university-backed certificate and a slower pace, Django for Everybody from the University of Michigan on Coursera is the better fit.

Can I learn Django for free?

Yes. The official “Writing your first Django app” tutorial in the Django docs, the Django Girls Tutorial and the Django REST framework tutorial together form a complete free path, and they are what experienced Django developers on Reddit recommend most. You can also audit IBM’s Django course on edX for free and preview Django for Everybody on Coursera.

Is there a free Django course with a certificate?

Not from the Django project itself, which issues no certificates. Coursera’s Django for Everybody and IBM’s edX course both issue certificates, but on the paid track (Coursera Plus or a single-course purchase on Coursera; a verified certificate on edX). Free tracks give you the learning without the credential.

Do I need to know Python before learning Django?

Yes. Django assumes working Python: functions, classes, modules and virtual environments. Coursera’s Django for Everybody explicitly expects Python for Everybody or equivalent. If you are not there yet, start with a Python course first.

How long does it take to learn Django?

With solid Python, most people build a working database-backed site in two to four weeks of part-time study and feel job-ready with Django and Django REST framework after two to four months of building. Django for Everybody estimates about two months at 10 hours a week; ZTM’s bootcamp is 8 hours of video plus its five projects.

Which Django version should a course teach in 2026?

Django 6.1 is the current release (6.1.2 on 1 November 2026), and Django 5.2 LTS is supported until April 2028. A course built on Django 4.x or 5.x still teaches the right concepts; a course built on Django 2.x or 3.x will show outdated syntax in places. Django 6.2, due April 2027, will be the last A.B release; from 2028 releases are named by year.

Is Django used for frontend or backend?

Django is a back-end framework. It can render HTML pages with its own template language, so you can build a complete site with it, but many teams use Django (usually with Django REST framework) as the API behind a React, Vue or mobile front end.

Is Django easy to learn?

Easier than its reputation if you know Python. The official tutorial gets you to a working app in an afternoon. The harder parts are the ones every real project needs: the ORM beyond simple queries, class-based views, authentication and permissions, and deployment.

Related guides: Best Python Courses · Best Flask Courses · Best SQL Courses · Best Laravel Courses · Best NestJS Courses · Best Ruby on Rails Courses