My app sandbox

From time to time, you will come across several blog posts listing the must-have Django packages. However, the best way to decide whether a package is appropriate for your project is prototyping.

Even if you have created a Python virtual environment for development, trying all these packages and later discarding them can litter your environment. So, I usually end up creating a separate virtual environment named sandbox purely for trying such apps. Then, I build a small project to understand how easy it is to use.

Later, if I am happy with my test drive of the app, I create a branch in my project using a version control tool such as Git to integrate the app. Then, I continue with coding and running tests in the branch until the necessary features are added. Finally, this branch will be reviewed and merged back to the mainline (sometimes called master) branch.