10 Django Features You’re Not Using But Should Be!

Unlock Django’s hidden gems!

10 Django Features You’re Not Using But Should Be!

Django is an incredibly powerful web framework that helps developers build robust applications quickly.

But while most developers use its core features — like models, views, and templates — there are hidden gems in Django that often go unnoticed.

These overlooked features can significantly improve your productivity, security, and code quality.

Here are 10 Django features you’re probably not using but should be!

Django Development: 14 Best Practices You Should Always Follow!

Follow these essential Django development tips to write cleaner, faster, and more maintainable code.

1. Model Meta Options — Fine-Tune Your Models

Django’s Meta class allows you to control model behavior without writing extra code. You can define things like ordering, permissions, and constraints at the model level.

Example:

class BlogPost(models.Model): 
    title = models.CharField(max_length=200) 
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True) 
 
    class Meta: 
        ordering = ['-created_at']  # Show the latest post first 
        verbose_name = "Blog Article"  # Custom name for admin panel

With just a few lines, you improve model structure and readability.

2. Query Expressions — Do More With Your Queries

Django’s ORM supports powerful query expressions, allowing you to perform database operations without raw SQL.

Example: Update a field dynamically

from django.db.models import F 
 
Product.objects.filter(stock__gt=0).update(stock=F('stock') - 1)

This updates the stock count directly in the database without fetching and saving manually — making your code more efficient.

3. Conditional Aggregation in Queries

Django lets you perform conditional counts and sums using Case and When.

Example: Counting active and inactive users

from django.db.models import Count, Case, When, IntegerField 
 
User.objects.aggregate( 
    active_users=Count(Case(When(is_active=True, then=1), output_field=IntegerField())), 
    inactive_users=Count(Case(When(is_active=False, then=1), output_field=IntegerField())) 
)

This allows you to get precise analytics from your database efficiently.

4. Custom Manager Methods — Keep Business Logic in Models

Django managers allow you to encapsulate query logic inside the model itself.

Example:

class ActiveUserManager(models.Manager): 
    def get_queryset(self): 
        return super().get_queryset().filter(is_active=True) 
 
class User(models.Model): 
    name = models.CharField(max_length=100) 
    is_active = models.BooleanField(default=True) 
 
    objects = models.Manager()  # Default manager 
    active_users = ActiveUserManager()  # Custom manager

Now, User.active_users.all() will always return only active users.

5. Prefetch Related vs. Select Related — Optimize Query Performance

Using .select_related() and .prefetch_related() correctly can significantly reduce the number of database queries.

• Use select_related() for ForeignKey relationships (joins the tables).
• Use prefetch_related() for ManyToMany or reverse ForeignKey relationships (fetches separately).

Example:

# Fetch related objects efficiently 
posts = BlogPost.objects.select_related('author').all()

This avoids the N+1 query problem and speeds up your queries.

6. Django Signals — Decouple Your Code

Django signals allow different parts of your app to communicate without tightly coupling them.

Example: Send an email when a user signs up

from django.db.models.signals import post_save 
from django.dispatch import receiver 
from django.core.mail import send_mail 
from django.contrib.auth.models import User 
 
@receiver(post_save, sender=User) 
def welcome_email(sender, instance, created, **kwargs): 
    if created: 
        send_mail( 
            'Welcome!', 
            'Thanks for signing up!', 
            'noreply@myapp.com', 
            [instance.email], 
        )

This ensures your logic runs automatically whenever a user is created.

7. Database Indexing for Faster Queries

Indexes improve query performance significantly, especially on large datasets.

Example:

class Product(models.Model): 
    sku = models.CharField(max_length=20, unique=True, db_index=True)

The db_index=True ensures that lookups on sku are blazing fast.

8. Custom Template Filters — Reusable Custom Logic in Templates

You can create custom template filters to simplify template logic.

Example: Create a filter to uppercase a string

# templatetags/extras.py 
from django import template 
 
register = template.Library() 
 
@register.filter 
def uppercase(value): 
    return value.upper()

Use it in your template:

{% load extras %} 
 
{{ "hello world"|uppercase }}  <!-- Output: HELLO WORLD -->

This keeps your templates clean and avoids unnecessary logic in views.

9. Django’s Built-in Caching — Speed Up Your App

Django provides caching at multiple levels: per-view, per-template, and even database query caching.

Example: Cache a view for 15 minutes

from django.views.decorators.cache import cache_page 
 
@cache_page(60 * 15) 
def my_view(request): 
    return render(request, "my_template.html")

This improves response time without changing any database logic.

10. Django’s System Check Framework — Catch Errors Before Deployment

Django can automatically check for common mistakes in your project.

Run:

python manage.py check

This highlights missing fields, misconfigured settings, and security issues before they become problems.

Final Thoughts

Django is packed with hidden gems that can improve performance, security, and maintainability. If you’re not using these features, you’re missing out on a lot of power!

Which feature surprised you the most? Let me know in the comments!

If you found this helpful, don’t forget to follow me for more Django tips. Happy coding!