Don’t get me wrong, Django is a powerful framework. But its template system? That’s a different story. As someone who’s spent countless hours wrestling with Django templates, I’ve got a bone to pick.

1. Limited Logic Capabilities

First off, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the deliberately crippled logic in Django templates. Sure, I get the idea of separating concerns, but come on! The hoops we have to jump through for simple operations are mind-boggling. Want to do some basic arithmetic? Good luck with that.

2. Verbose Syntax

{% if %}, {% endif %}, {% for %}, {% endfor %} – it’s like I’m writing XML in my HTML. In an age of JSX and modern templating engines, Django’s syntax feels clunky and outdated. It’s verbose, it’s ugly, and it clutters up otherwise clean HTML.

3. Lack of Component Reusability

While includes and template tags offer some level of reusability, they pale in comparison to the component systems of modern frontend frameworks. Creating truly modular, reusable pieces of UI in Django templates is an exercise in frustration.

4. Poor Developer Experience

No hot reloading, limited debugging capabilities, and cryptic error messages. Developing with Django templates feels like coding with one hand tied behind your back. The feedback loop is slow, and finding the source of rendering issues can be a nightmare.

5. Steep Learning Curve for Customization

Try creating a custom template tag or filter. I hope you like diving deep into Python internals and dealing with string parsing, because that’s what you’re in for. What should be simple customizations often turn into complex coding exercises.

While Django’s template system has its place and can be powerful in the right hands, it often feels like a relic of the past in today’s fast-paced web development world. For those of us who’ve tasted the flexibility and power of modern frontend frameworks, going back to Django templates can feel like a step backwards.

Don’t even get me started on trying to integrate modern JavaScript frameworks with Django templates. That’s a rant for another day.