Django

What Django does

Django is the steward of the Django open-source Python web framework, released in 2005 and maintained by the Django Software Foundation (DSF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit incorporated in the United States. The framework itself — free under a BSD license — provides developers with a batteries-included toolkit including an Object-Relational Mapper (ORM), an automatically generated admin interface, a template engine, built-in internationalization, and security defaults designed to mitigate common web vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF. It is in active development, currently on version 6.0.6 with the 6.1 minor release in beta as of June 2026.

The foundation that surrounds the framework is lean — its paid headcount consists of three Django Fellows funded through corporate memberships and donations, with the rest of the contribution base made up of volunteers coordinated through GitHub, Discord, the official Django Forum, and three regional DjangoCon events. The DSF holds the registered Django trademark, runs a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) program granted by MITRE in mid-2026, and operates transparency mechanisms including public board meeting minutes and monthly balance snapshots.

Revenue does not come from software licensing — Django is free — but from fundraising: annual corporate membership tiers ranging from $2,000 (Bronze) to $100,000 (Platinum) and a higher Sponsored Fellow anchor tier, recurring individual donations channeled through GitHub Sponsors and Open Collective (currently over $9,000/month against a $15,000/month goal), and event grants to DjangoCon and community sprints. The DSF set a 2026 fundraising goal of $500,000 (raised from $300,000) and held $222,000 in operating reserves at the start of 2026. The project itself serves two primary segments: independent web developers building applications, APIs, content systems, and data-driven platforms, and specialized Django development agencies (Caktus Group, Lincoln Loop, Six Feet Up, Cuttlesoft, OddBird, Two Rock) whose consulting practices depend on the framework; high-visibility end-user deployments include Instagram, Pinterest, NASA, Capital One, Mozilla, PBS, UNICEF, and the UN Environment Programme.

Name

Django

Legal name

Django Software Foundation

Website

https://djangoproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Django Software Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, maintains the Django open-source Python web framework — a batteries-included toolkit with ORM, admin, templating, and security defaults — serving independent web developers and specialized Django development agencies worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership: Organizations pay annual dues at various tiers (Bronze $2,000, Silver $5,000, Gold $12,500, Platinum $30,000, Diamond $100,000) to support Django's development and receive recognition
2. Individual Donations: Individual developers can donate through the website, GitHub Sponsors, or Open Collective. DSF has a goal of $15,000 per month through GitHub Sponsors.
3. Sponsored Fellow Program: New corporate membership tier where organizations directly fund Django Fellows who maintain the framework, receiving highest visibility and recognition
4. Event Grants: DSF provides grants to DjangoCon events, DjangoGirls workshops, regional Django Days, and community sprints worldwide

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Django is a high-level, open-source Python web framework distributed under the BSD license that enables developers to build secure, scalable web applications quickly. It ships with a built-in Object-Relational Mapper, auto-generated admin interface, template engine, internationalization support, and security protections out of the box. The Django Software Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, governs the framework, maintains the Django Fellows program, and stewards the Django trademark.

Product overview

Django is a single, unified open-source web framework written in Python. It provides a comprehensive set of built-in features including an Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) for database abstraction, an automatically-generated admin interface, a template system, internationalization support, and robust security features. The Django Software Foundation (DSF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, governs the project and funds the Django Fellowship program which supports paid contractors maintaining the framework. Community programs like Djangonaut Space help onboard new contributors. Django does not follow a platform-plus-modules architecture; all core features are included in the main framework distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Django Software Foundation (DSF): The non-profit organization that maintains and supports the Django framework

Products and services

• Django Web Framework A high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Built by experienced developers, it bundles an ORM, templating, authentication, caching, admin interface, internationalization, and security protections so developers can focus on application logic. Distributed under the BSD license and free to use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Some of the busiest sites on the web leverage Django's ability to quickly and flexibly scale

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JetBrainscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026JetBrains partners with the DSF annually to run the Django Developer Survey, helping understand how Django is used worldwide. JetBrains also provides PyCharm IDE support for Django development and supports the DSF through corporate membership.
• SentrycoreTechnology or IntegrationSentry provides monitoring services for Django applications, helping developers resolve performance bottlenecks and errors. Sentry is a Platinum corporate member and offers documentation and integrations specifically for Django.
• PostHogcoreTechnology or IntegrationPostHog is an all-in-one developer platform that provides product analytics, session replay, error tracking, and feature flags for Django applications. Platinum corporate member.
• Kraken TechcoreTechnology or IntegrationKraken powers 70+ million accounts worldwide using Django for their utility-grade AI platform. Platinum corporate member supporting the DSF.
• Caktus GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDurham-based Django consultancy founded in 2007, specializing in custom web development. Gold corporate member and one of six agencies that pledged $47,500 to fund the DSF Executive Director position.
• Lincoln LoopcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRemote-first Python consultancy building platforms for Planned Parenthood, Wharton, Mozilla, PBS. Silver corporate member and pledged $10,000 toward Executive Director funding.
• Six Feet UpcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWoman-owned consultancy founded in 1999 with clients including Capital One, NASA, Purdue University. Gold member, pledged $10,000 for Executive Director.
• MITRE (CVE Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DSF became a CNA (CVE Numbering Authority) through MITRE's CVE Program, allowing the DSF to assign CVEs directly for Django vulnerabilities and selected ecosystem projects.
• CuttlesoftminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProduct agency based in Tallahassee and Denver building with Django since 2014. Contributed $10,000 toward Executive Director funding.
• OddBirdminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRemote boutique agency co-founded by a Django core developer, contributing to the framework and community for 17+ years. Contributed $2,500 toward Executive Director.
• Two Rock SoftwareminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDjango-focused custom development shop based in North Carolina with deep roots in Django events community. Contributed $2,500 toward Executive Director.
• DEFNAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDEFNA (Django Events Foundation North America) is a non-profit that hosts Django events in North America and has produced DjangoCon US since 2015. Silver corporate member.
• ZapiercoreTechnology or IntegrationZapier is the leading platform for AI orchestration and automation, powering millions of API connections. Silver corporate member of the DSF.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Laravel: Laravel is the dominant PHP web framework and offers a batteries-included, MVC-based developer experience directly comparable to Django. Both are widely adopted in agency and SMB web development and operate community-plus-foundation sponsorship models.
• Express.js: Express is the de facto standard web framework for Node.js, with a similar minimalist-to-full-stack positioning depending on extensions. It competes with Django for backend web and API development workloads across languages.
• Pyramid: Pyramid is a long-standing Python web framework positioned between minimal Flask and full-stack Django. It overlaps directly on Python web development, ORM-backed applications, and enterprise Python deployments.
• Pallets (Flask): Pallets maintains Flask, the most direct alternative Python web framework. Both target Python web developers with open-source licenses, similar packaging via PyPI, and overlapping use cases, making it the closest functional peer to Django.
• FastAPI: FastAPI is a modern Python web framework that has rapidly gained adoption for async APIs. It competes head-to-head with Django for new Python backend projects and is the principal emerging threat to Django's developer mindshare.
• Ruby on Rails: Rails is a full-stack MVC web framework that pioneered the batteries-included, convention-over-configuration philosophy Django was built on. It serves the same developer use case (rapid web app development) with a parallel governance model and a foundation-backed community.

Others

• Python Software Foundation: The PSF is the 501(c)(3) non-profit that stewards the Python language ecosystem in which Django is implemented. It is structurally and operationally comparable as a language/foundation peer and is a key partner in Django's developer audience.
• Apache Software Foundation: ASF is a foundational open-source foundation operating the Apache License model and stewarding many enterprise-grade web and data projects. It is a comparable non-profit governance and stewardship model for open-source frameworks.

Broad incumbents

• Spring Framework: Spring is the dominant enterprise Java application framework maintained by Broadcom/VMware. It is broader in scope (not a Python framework) but competes for the same enterprise backend web workloads that Django serves.
• ASP.NET Core: ASP.NET Core is Microsoft's enterprise web framework with batteries-included tooling, ORM (Entity Framework), and admin scaffolding comparable to Django. It competes for enterprise backend web and API workloads via the .NET stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/djangoproject
• GitHubgithub.com/django
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/django-software-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Django