Environment-first settings. Sensible auth defaults. Structured logging. CI from day zero. Pre-commit hooks. Docker. Security hardening. Every project meant two days of boilerplate before writing business logic.
So I built Django Keel: a production-ready Django starter that eliminates the yak-shaving. GitHub: https://github.com/CuriousLearner/django-keel
*What you get*:
- 12-factor config with environment-based secrets - Production-hardened security defaults - Pre-wired linting, formatting, testing, pre-commit hooks - CI workflow ready to go - Clear project structure that scales - Documentation with real trade-offs explained
*Background*:
I maintained a popular cookiecutter template for years. Django Keel is what that should've been from the start—battle-tested patterns without the accumulated cruft.
*Who it's for*:
Teams and solo builders shipping Django to production who want a strong baseline without tech debt. Feedback welcome on what works, what doesn't, and what's missing. Issues and PRs appreciated.
rbanffy•8h ago
This is a thing I've been struggling with - what is the best way of delivering such templates. Is a template generator such as this? Would it be best to copy a baseline repo with all options set? Should we fork that base repo and rebase when the baseline updates?
sanyam-khurana•7h ago
But Keel is based on copier which has a "pull" based approach. It means unlike cookiecutter where you generate project from template once, you can run `copier update` to update your project with the latest addition to the template. (It takes care of merging based on the initial config that you selected).
It's just running one command `copier update`. Docs here: https://django-keel.readthedocs.io/en/latest/?h=copier+updat...
You don't need to fork it unless you want to make some improvements or build upon the base template itself.
rbanffy•7h ago
The `copier` thing is nice. I'll sure try it on my next Django project.
sanyam-khurana•7h ago
mahmoudhossam•4h ago