How to Approach Refactoring a Spring Project to Django?

Just a heads-up, a complete rewrite isn't the same as refactoring. It’s a different process, and you might want to consider why you’re doing it. Knowing the reasons and risks involved will help guide your approach better.

Honestly, maybe take a moment to rethink the whole idea. Rewriting a project in a completely new language, especially one you’re not familiar with, can lead to a lot of headaches. Consider the motives behind this shift!

Here are some key points to consider:

1. Forget about SOLID principles; with Django, focus on using the models they provide instead of a separation layer.
2. Dependency injection is out—get used to using Django’s settings as global variables.
3. If you need to create an API, definitely check out Django Rest Framework or Django Ninja.
4. Be mindful that Django ORM has its limitations concerning database design compared to what you might be used to with Spring, but the migration system in Django is quite robust.

Since you're new to Python and Django, I'd recommend starting with small Python projects first. Getting familiar with Python will make diving into Django a lot smoother. I found "Django 5 by Example" to be a helpful resource—it provides practical insights through real projects. Once you feel comfortable with both, you can dive into the refactoring. Good luck!