- The author is learning to build websites using a 2010-style backend approach with Django, focusing on SQL databases and server-rendered HTML.
- Key Django features enjoyed include query builders for readable SQL-like filters, template filters for URL formatting and date handling, the querystring filter for dynamic links, and automatic database migrations.
- The author prefers function-based views over class-based inheritance for code organization, finding inheritance less straightforward in Python.
- Performance concerns include handling bursts of traffic, caching strategies, and template optimization; enabling cached template loaders significantly improved request handling from 2-3 to 12 requests per second.
- The author finds Django's settings file confusing and notes that performance issues often stem from misconfiguration (like disabled template caching) rather than slow database queries.