I hope this message finds you well. I’m reaching out to seek clarification and potentially gather insights regarding the django-filters package. Specifically, I have two key questions:
Maintenance of django-filters: Is the django-filters package currently maintained by the Django core team? I’m trying to understand its maintenance status and the level of integration it has with the core Django framework. Knowing who oversees its development and updates would help me gauge its reliability and future-proofing within Django projects.
Integration of PostgreSQL’s ts_vector in search_fields: As someone working extensively with PostgreSQL and Django, I’m particularly interested in harnessing PostgreSQL’s full-text search capabilities, specifically the ts_vector functionality, within the django-filters framework. I’m curious if there’s a way to integrate ts_vector into django-filters’ search_fields. If such integration is not currently available, I’d be eager to know if there are any plans or possibilities to include this feature in future updates. This integration would significantly enhance the search functionalities in Django applications that rely on PostgreSQL, providing more efficient and powerful search capabilities.
I appreciate any guidance, insights, or updates you can provide on these topics. Your input will be invaluable in helping me and others in the community make informed decisions and improvements in our Django projects.
Thank you in advance for your time and assistance!
So beyond that, to get to the other parts of your question, I would look at any third-party package the same way I would evaluate any open source project for risk.
The django-filter pypi page github repo shows you who the maintainers are and what the release cadence has been. The related github repo provides more detail regarding who has contributed, and you can evaluate how active they have been in addressing issues.
However, keep in mind that “past performance is not an indication of future results.” For a variety of reasons, projects can (and do) get dropped. It doesn’t matter who’s maintaining it today, because you have no way to know who may (or may not!) be maintaining it tomorrow. (Side note: This is true for all open source packages, even those currently supported and maintained by commercial entities. It’s a risk factor that needs to be identified and evaluated for your organization.)
Our criteria is simple - we review the code before accepting it into a project, and decide whether or not we would be willing to pick up internal maintenance of that code should the original cease to be viable.
Since this is a third-party project, this is a question that should be asked through itsofficial support channels.
You’ve raised some important points about the Django project and the evaluation of open-source software.
Indeed, Django’s development is unique because it is driven by community members rather than a centralized core team. The Django Fellows do play a critical role, but as you mentioned, their focus is more on managing the project’s processes.
You’re absolutely right in emphasizing that past performance of an open-source project doesn’t guarantee its future. This uncertainty is a common characteristic of open source projects, irrespective of who maintains them, including those backed by commercial entities.
I appreciate you thank you for answering my question.