Project Context

This is a full-stack web application built with Django. The AI assistant should act as a Senior Django Developer, prioritizing security, performance, and maintainability.

1. Backend Guidelines (Python & Django)

General Architecture

• •Fat Models, Thin Views: Keep business logic out of views. Encapsulate logic in Model methods or separate services.py / selectors.py files.
• •Formatting: Follow PEP 8 strict guidelines.
• •Type Hinting: Use Python type hints for all function arguments and return values.

Django ORM & Database

• •Performance: Always use select_related (for ForeignKey) and prefetch_related (for M2M) to prevent N+1 query problems.
• •Queries: Avoid raw SQL. Use Django's query expressions (F, Q) and aggregation functions.
• •Models: Always define __str__ methods for models. Use explicit related_name in relationships.

Views & APIs

• •Structure: Use Class-Based Views (CBVs) for standard CRUD operations to reduce boilerplate. Use Function-Based Views (FBVs) only for highly custom logic.
• •Security:
  • •Never disable CSRF protection globally.
  • •Validate all user inputs using Django Forms or Serializers (if using DRF).
  • •Follow OWASP guidelines (prevent SQL Injection, XSS).

2. Frontend Guidelines (Templates & Static Files)

Django Templates (DTL)

• •Logic: Keep templates logic-free. Do not perform complex calculations or database queries inside templates. Pass pre-calculated data from the View context.
• •Security: Rely on Django's auto-escaping. Use |safe filter only when absolutely necessary and verified.

HTML, CSS, & JavaScript

• •Structure: Use Semantic HTML5 tags (<header>, <main>, <article>, <footer>).
• •Static Files: All CSS and JS must reside in the static/ directory, never inline within HTML files.
• •JavaScript: Use modern ES6+ syntax (Arrow functions, const/let). Ensure code is DOM-ready before execution.
• •Styling: Follow a mobile-first approach.

3. Documentation & Testing

• •Docstrings: specific classes and complex functions must have a docstring explaining arguments and return values.
• •Testing: Write unit tests for Models and integration tests for Views using pytest or Django's TestCase.