Choosing the Right Strategy for Basic vs Premium Features in Django
When you're building a Django app and want to offer different features to different user groups — like Basic and Premium — it's natural to wonder:
Should I separate users using Django Multisite? Or even spin up separate Docker containers per plan?
Spoiler: You don’t need that much complexity — and here’s why.
✅ Problem Overview
Let’s say you're building an e-commerce platform, SaaS tool, or any web app, and you want:
- Basic users to access only core features.
- Premium users to unlock advanced dashboards, analytics, tools, etc.
- A future-ready system that supports upgrades/downgrades.
❌ Don't Use Multisite or Docker for This
It’s tempting to think you need:
- Django Multisite (used to serve different domains with different content).
- Docker containers per plan (used in multi-tenant SaaS with full isolation).
But for most cases where you’re just limiting access to certain features — these are overkill.
✅ The Right Approach: Role-Based Access in One Django App
A single Django project, with logic based on the user’s plan or role, is all you need.
🧱 Step 1: Add a Plan Field to User or Profile
class UserProfile(models.Model):
user = models.OneToOneField(User, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
PLAN_CHOICES = (
('basic', 'Basic'),
('premium', 'Premium'),
)
plan = models.CharField(max_length=20, choices=PLAN_CHOICES, default='basic')
You can attach this model to your users via signals or use a custom user model.
🧠 Step 2: Check Plan in Views
@login_required
def premium_feature(request):
if request.user.userprofile.plan != 'premium':
return redirect('upgrade')
return render(request, 'premium/feature.html')
🎨 Step 3: Hide Premium Features in Templates
{% if request.user.userprofile.plan == 'premium' %}
<a href="{% url 'premium_feature' %}">Premium Analytics</a>
{% else %}
<a href="{% url 'upgrade' %}">Upgrade to Premium</a>
{% endif %}
💳 Step 4: Integrate Payments (Optional)
Use Stripe or PayPal to allow users to upgrade and automatically update their plan.
Tools:
dj-stripe
django-paypal
- Custom webhook views for subscription events
🔧 Optional: Feature Flags for Granular Control
Use a package like django-waffle
to enable/disable specific features or even do A/B testing.
📊 Bonus: Admin Tools
Add an admin page or dashboard to:
- View users by plan
- Manually upgrade or downgrade users
- Track feature usage per plan
🏁 TL;DR
Strategy | Use it when... |
---|---|
Role-based logic | You just want to separate features by plan |
Django multisite | You serve different content on multiple domains |
Docker containers per user group | You want complete app/database isolation (SaaS, enterprise) |
🚀 Conclusion
You can build a powerful freemium business model with just one Django app.
Start simple with role-based access, then scale up when you truly need isolation.
Need help implementing this in your own Django project? I’d love to help!
Get in Touch with us
Related Posts
- 下一个前沿:面向富裕人群的数字私人俱乐部
- The Next Frontier: A Digital Private Club for the Affluent
- Thinking Better with Code: Using Mathematical Shortcuts to Master Large Codebases
- Building the Macrohard of Today: AI Agents Platform for Enterprises
- Build Vue.js Apps Smarter with Aider + IDE Integration
- Yo Dev! Here’s How I Use AI Tools Like Codex CLI and Aider to Speed Up My Coding
- Working With AI in Coding the Right Way
- How to Select the Right LLM Model: Instruct, MLX, 8-bit, and Embedding Models
- How to Use Local LLM Models in Daily Work
- How to Use Embedding Models with LLMs for Smarter AI Applications
- Smart Vision System for Continuous Material Defect Detection
- Building a Real-Time Defect Detector with Line-Scan + ML (Reusable Playbook)
- How to Read Source Code: Frappe Framework Sample
- Interface-Oriented Design: The Foundation of Clean Architecture
- Understanding Anti-Drone Systems: Architecture, Hardware, and Software
- RTOS vs Linux in Drone Systems: Modern Design, Security, and Rust for Next-Gen Drones
- Why Does Spring Use So Many Annotations? Java vs. Python Web Development Explained
- From Django to Spring Boot: A Practical, Visual Guide for Web Developers
- How to Build Large, Maintainable Python Systems with Clean Architecture: Concepts & Real-World Examples
- Why Test-Driven Development Makes Better Business Sense