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General Discussion

GoLang vs Python via Django for a Web App

(Wow I'm posting a lot of questions lately)

Hello again everyone!,

I have another question for you guys! I'm trying to decide what to build my web app idea in, Google's Go language or Python in Django. Let me list some quick pros, cons, and unknown factors.

Django(Python)

Pros

  1. Very Mature & Stable.
  2. Very active & friendly community.
  3. Faster Development.
  4. I know general Python and Django already.
  5. My project is very similar to the Learning Site project built in Treehouse Django courses.

Cons

  1. Python tends to run slower than compiled languages like Go, without the extra learning of PyPy etc.
  2. Django may not be able to handle loads of content/traffic if the project goes the way I hope.
  3. Python is wide-spread so portfolio/resume use, while still valuable, may be lessened.

Go

Pros

  1. Go is a complied, statically-typed language.
  2. Go can handle massive amounts of content/traffic.
  3. Go is a new and fast-growing language/community.
  4. Go is built to be fast, and syntax-lean while still effective and secure.
  5. Go is a new and effective language, so portfolio/resume value would be increased.

Cons

  1. I'm still very new to Go
  2. Development would be longer as I'm still learning the language
  3. Go has no de-facto web framework.

Unknown Factors

  1. I'm very ADHD, and may lose passion for the project and quit.
  2. I've never delt with any web-app server deploment with wsgi/other methods.
  3. I'm not sure how well this project will do, or if the traffic-and-content-load difference will be worth considering.

And that's about it. Any and all input would be highly appreciated!

1 Answer

Sue Dough
Sue Dough
35,800 Points

Hi Jacob,

It sounds like you have a good idea of each technology. I think you should pick whatever you like the most and feel productive with. There is websites in every stack. At the end of the day its important to the developer likes the stack there working with and can find solutions to their problems. There is no right/wrong option here in my opinion if you can get what you need done. One thing to keep in mind is your going to find much more on Stack Overflow/Tutorials on Django vs Go since Go is much newer.