Django turns 20

On 13th July 2025 Django officially turned 20 years old which feels like a huge milestone and one that’s something worth celebrating!

Over the last two decades the Django framework has helped shape the internet we use every day.

Think about it for a second... all those websites built, the careers launched and progressed, and even the number of companies created using Django at their core!

The number of users/developers is thought to be in the millions over the last 20 years but only a fraction of those are actively involved in the community. For example last year these are some numbers that are trackable (and to save time researching have estimated by me for this)

8500+ people follow Django on Github
Around 5000 people responded to the Django Developer Survey run by the DSF
Roughly 4500 people subscribe to the Django News newsletter
Each DjangoChat Podcast episode is downloaded 2000 times in the week it is released
DjangoCon Europe 25 was attended by 300 or so people in Dublin
Last year 350 people attended DjangoCon US held in Durham, NC
There are ~400 individual members of the DSF
Under 30 companies are corporate sponsors of the DSF

Carlton Gibson gave this great talk at DjangoCon Europe this year and Chaim Kirby gave this one at DjangoCon Europe in 2022. Both highlight the disparity between the number of users of Django and those who are "actively" involved in the community.

The most impressive part of all things Django for me, is that the software is completely free to use since it was created by 3 guys at a newspaper in Lawrence, Kansas in 2005.

That’s rare and it’s powerful. It has been maintained and improved over the years by thousands of contributors and by the Django Software Foundation.

For those who don't know, the DSF is a nonprofit organisation that supports the community, handles fundraising, employes the fellows who work on Django and helps keep Django strong and secure for the long term.

Each year the DSF sets a fundraising goal and this year they’re aiming for $300,000. As it stands (July 13th 2025) they’re only around 26% of the way there.

If Django has helped you in your career or in your learning journey, now is a great time to give something back. Maybe £20, $20, €20 or whatever you might spend on a birthday card or present for a friend. It all helps keep the wheels turning.

Use this link to donate now: https://www.djangoproject.com/fundraising/

Even better, ask your employer to make a donation/sponsor the DSF. Like I mentioned above, less than 30 companies worldwide are sponsors of Django while Thousands (or Hundreds of Thousands) use Django within their businesses.

Here at Foxley Talent we’re proud to support the DSF. We donated $5,000 earlier this year and we want to keep encouraging others to do the same.

My Django story started with a phone call nearly 18 years ago. I was a recruiter placing contractors across England and I rang a contact at an insurance firm. They told me they were working with a new technology called Django and asked if I knew any developers with experience in it. I didn’t, not yet, but that call sent me down a rabbit hole. I found people on community sites and social media along with the odd person on a job page.

I started watching the community grow, and eventually built a whole business around connecting Django talent with Django teams. That phone call is what set the wheels in motion. You can read the full story here.

Fast forward to 2025 and people all over the world are celebrating Django’s 20th birthday.

Some are going to local meetups or user groups, or socials, some of us joined the singing and the birthday cake during DjangoCon Europe. I also attended the London Django meetup last week and we had these cupcakes and another birthday sing along…

I'm sure there will be more celebrations later this year at DjangoCon Africa and again at DjangoCon US. Tickets are still available if you wanted to attend either of these conferences.

As we've reached this 20 year milestone around the community I am seeing people reflect on how this framework shaped their own path and sharing their Django origin stories online.

It’s not just a framework. It’s a community, a culture, and a commitment to making web development accessible and sustainable. That is something worth raising a glass to.

Here’s to Django. 20 years of open source success and hopefully many more to come. Let’s celebrate what it has made possible and make sure we support everything that lays ahead...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Your Django 20 Year Birthday Checklist

Attend a birthday meetup...

Local user groups are hosting Django themed events. Find one and join the celebration. You might even make a new connection or two for your own career!

Make a small donation to the DSF...

"Buy Django a Birthday Present" Donate whatever you can, it doesn't have to be £20, €20, $20, ¥20 even a dollar, euro, yen, rupee helps support Django’s future!

https://www.djangoproject.com/fundraising/

Share your Django journey...

Post on LinkedIn, mastodon or your own blog about what Django has done for you. If you are going to a conference, give a lightning talk about it. You may just inspire someone else to use Django for their next project!

Read something new...

Spend a little time exploring Django docs or reading blog posts, I'd suggest looking at anything written by Adam Johnson, Will Vincent, Carlton Gibson or if it's easier just subscribe to the Django Newsletter to get a weekly update of what's happening around the Django world.

Help someone else...

Answer a question in a forum online, open a pull request or mentor someone new. It all adds up... Have a look around and check out the channels for Django on Reddit, GitHub, Slack, Discord, etc. Follow the Django Software Foundation on their social channels, respond to the calls for action and share your knowledge wherever you can.

If you are new to Django, or just starting your developer journey, we have a few blog posts you might find useful. Like this guide for junior developers or our Django CV tips to help you stand out to employers.