Comparing
Database migration tool for SQLAlchemy — tracks schema changes as versioned scripts.
A high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design
| Metric | alembic | django |
|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem | Python | Python |
| Difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner ✓ |
| Weekly downloads | 3.8M | 9.9M↑ |
| Latest version | v1.13.2 | v6.0.3 |
| Recipes | 2↑ | 1 |
alembic only
Shared
django only
Any production SQLAlchemy app. Column additions/renames, index creation, constraint changes, data backfills as part of schema migrations.
Use Django for full-stack web applications that need user accounts, an admin interface for content management, forms with validation, or an ORM for complex data relationships. It's the right choice when you want a complete, production-ready framework with a well-trodden path for common features.
Non-SQLAlchemy databases (use Flyway, Liquibase, or Django migrations). Throwaway dev DBs where you can afford to drop and recreate.
Django is heavy for pure REST APIs — the ORM, templates, and admin panel add weight you don't use. FastAPI is a better starting point for API-only projects. Django's synchronous-by-default nature (though async support has improved) can also be a constraint for highly concurrent applications.
alembic
django