System design for Django — built like a platform

Ship Django features as plug-in mini-apps with realtime state, queues, and clean boundaries.

Django APP Engine is a modular runtime layer for Django projects that standardizes architecture, enables read-only realtime UI state via Channels, runs background work with Celery + RabbitMQ, and supports BackboneJS micro-apps inside Django pages.

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Realtime STATE updates Modular apps Celery + RabbitMQ Docker Compose deploy

Realtime state → UI updates instantly

The server is the source of truth. The UI subscribes to read-only websockets and reacts to create/update/delete events—no polling, no fragile ad-hoc patterns.

// event emitted from backend
{"type":"STATE","model":"Account","id":42,"action":"updated","diff":{"status":"active"}}
// backbone collection listens
collection.onState(event => collection.applyState(event));

Predictable patterns

Base classes enforce architecture across apps.

Faster shipping

New modules plug in without reinventing structure.

Works great for dashboards, pipelines, CRMs, admin-like UIs, and SaaS modules.

What it does

Make Django feel like a platform: consistent architecture, realtime UX, async jobs, and clean deployments.

View system design

Standardized architecture

One way to build features: apps, services, APIs, queues, realtime, versioning—no bespoke snowflakes.

Channels realtime layer

Read-only websocket streams push STATE updates (created/updated/deleted) to the UI reliably.

Async background jobs

Celery + RabbitMQ for heavy tasks, pipelines, and scheduled work (optional beat).

Frontend micro-apps

BackboneJS mini-apps mount inside Django pages and react to server state events (no polling).

Docker-first deploy

Compose-based services with healthchecks and predictable boundaries across environments.

Base classes & conventions

Enforce patterns with shared base classes (models/collections/views) to keep the codebase coherent.

System design

A clean separation of concerns that scales from a single module to a full SaaS platform.

Core components

  • Django Core: modular apps, APIs, services, Jinja shells
  • Realtime: Channels consumers broadcast read-only STATE
  • Async: Celery workers process long-running tasks
  • Queue: RabbitMQ broker for reliability
  • Data: Postgres (+ optional Redis cache / channel layer)
  • Frontend: BackboneJS micro-apps compiled and mounted

Event flow (record updated)

1) API / Task updates DB
Postgres ← Django ORM
2) Engine emits a STATE event
{"type":"STATE","action":"updated","model":"X","id":123}
3) Channels broadcasts to subscribers
WS → group_send("app:x")
4) Backbone collection applies state
collection.applyState(event)

Result: your UI stays consistent with server state—fast, simple, and debuggable.

Design principles

Server is the source of truth
Realtime is first-class
Apps are plug-ins
One convention, everywhere
Compose-based deployments
Predictable scaling

Where it shines

If you’ve ever thought “this feature needs its own architecture”… this is for you.

Dashboards

Live metrics, streams, status pages, admin views without polling.

Pipelines

Orchestrate long tasks with queues, workers, and realtime progress updates.

CRM modules

Fast UI with consistent state for leads, accounts, tickets, timelines.

SaaS platforms

Plug-in apps that ship features without turning into a monolith mess.

Ready to build Django like a platform?

Get a starter template with Django + Channels + Celery + RabbitMQ + Docker Compose, and a micro-app mounting example.

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What you’ll get

  • Project skeleton with clear service boundaries
  • Realtime STATE event pattern (create/update/delete)
  • BackboneJS micro-app mounting example
  • Compose services + healthcheck approach

Quick note

This landing page is pitch-ready, but you can also use it as a README front page. Want a version with a C4 diagram image + folder structure section? I can generate it.