Understanding the Django Framework is essential for anyone looking to develop robust web applications using Python. Django is a high-level web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. It comes with built-in features like an administrative interface, user authentication, and a powerful ORM (Object-Relational Mapping), making it an excellent choice for beginners. The framework follows the MVT (Model-View-Template) architectural pattern, which helps developers create scalable applications efficiently.

To get started with Django, beginners should follow these key steps:

1. Install Django using pip, Python's package installer.
2. Set up a new Django project by utilizing the django-admin startproject command.
3. Create applications within the project to encapsulate specific functionalities using python manage.py startapp.
4. Understand the importance of models, views, and templates in developing your application.

Django is a powerful web framework that simplifies the process of development by incorporating a range of robust features. One of its standout attributes is the admin panel, which provides an intuitive interface for managing site content. This panel is automatically generated and customizable, allowing developers to create a tailored experience for content administrators. Furthermore, Django's ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) enables seamless interaction with the database, allowing developers to write database queries using Python code instead of SQL, thus greatly increasing productivity and reducing the likelihood of errors.

Another significant feature of Django is its URL routing capabilities. Developers can create clean, human-readable URLs, which are beneficial not only for user experience but also for SEO performance. Additionally, Django comes with an array of built-in security features, such as protection against SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and clickjacking. These features help developers prioritize application security without needing extensive knowledge of security protocols. In summary, the combination of the admin panel, ORM, URL routing, and security measures makes Django a comprehensive framework that significantly streamlines the web development process.

Building your first web application with Django can be an exciting journey, especially for those who are just starting with web development. In this step-by-step tutorial, we will guide you through the essential stages of creating a functional web app. Begin by setting up your development environment; ensure you have Python and Django installed. Then, create a new project using the command django-admin startproject myproject. After that, navigate into your project directory and create your first application using python manage.py startapp myapp. This structure lays the foundation for your web application.

Next, you will need to configure your application by updating the settings.py file to include your new app under INSTALLED_APPS. To define your data structure, create models within models.py. After defining your models, remember to run python manage.py makemigrations followed by python manage.py migrate to apply changes to the database. Finally, you can create views and templates to map your application logic to the front end. Concluding the tutorial, run the local server with python manage.py runserver and access your app at http://127.0.0.1:8000/. Enjoy building with Django!