I was discussing with a developer who believes that for any long-term, high-traffic project, .NET Core is the only viable option. He confidently explained his preferred architecture and libraries, claiming that Django would struggle under heavy loads, particularly with CPU usage. However, I've seen many large-scale services utilizing Django or at least incorporating Python in significant ways. I'm trying to reconcile this conflicting information. Specifically, I'm curious about Django's scalability limits—is it particularly hindered by CPU, the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL), or request handling? What architectural strategies can enhance Django's performance, such as asynchronous processing, caching, queuing, or database sharding? Also, where do you think .NET Core might have an advantage, like in latency or CPU-bound tasks? Finally, I want to know if anyone can provide real-world examples of Django handling massive traffic (100k+ requests per second) or millions of users. If you were tasked with building a highly scalable application, would you stick with Django or opt for a compiled language or framework instead?
4 Answers
When talking about scaling, most apps are limited by their database or RAM rather than the raw CPU power of your workers. For high traffic applications, load balancing is key. Django can handle a lot—I've seen setups running over a million requests per second with decent architecture. And seriously, at those levels, you’re not just dealing with one server, but a whole ecosystem of them—microservices everywhere.
There’s a common misconception that frameworks like Django can't handle high traffic. I’ve worked with Django on projects that had millions of users—it's all about how you implement your architecture and manage your resources. Sure, .NET might offer some benefits in specific scenarios, but for most projects, it really boils down to how well you can manage your system as a whole.
That’s really encouraging to hear. I worry about performance but I guess focusing on what I know best is more important for initial builds.
I work for a large company running multiple web applications with high user traffic and real-time communications, and we primarily use Node.js. It’s about architecting your solution rather than locking yourself into one framework because of opinion. If your team prefers .NET or Django, that’s fine! Skills and developer happiness matter.
True! I think the specific framework matters less than being good at using it effectively.
In my experience, the biggest bottleneck isn't usually the framework, but rather the database. A slow SQL query can offset any speed advantages from using something like .NET Core. So while performance is important, focusing on optimizing your database is crucial too. Also, many projects, including those written in Node.js and Spring Boot, can perform well if built correctly. Ultimately, pick a tech stack you enjoy working with.
Right! The DB issues seem to overshadow everything else. But sometimes I wonder if developers get too caught up in optimizing languages before even proving their concept.
Exactly! If you're reaching those kinds of traffic levels, you’re already past just technical choices and into architecture territory.