When developing with Django, encountering errors can be a routine aspect of the process. However, understanding the top 5 common Django errors can significantly streamline your workflow. These errors often arise due to misconfigurations or misunderstandings of the framework. One prevalent issue is the ImproperlyConfigured error, which usually occurs when settings are not properly configured in the settings.py file. To fix it, ensure that you have correctly defined your DATABASES, INSTALLED_APPS, and any middleware required for your application.

Another frequent error is the ModuleNotFoundError, which happens when Django cannot locate a specified module. This can be easily resolved by ensuring that the app is included in the INSTALLED_APPS list and by checking your project's structure and import statements. Additionally, 404 errors often plague developers during URL routing. These can be mitigated by verifying that the URL patterns in your urls.py file correspond to the actual views defined in your application. By addressing these common pitfalls, you can enhance your Django experience and focus more on building amazing features.

Django is a powerful web framework that simplifies the process of building web applications with Python. As a beginner, it’s essential to understand the framework's structure to effectively navigate its features. Django adheres to the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architectural pattern, which organizes code in a way that promotes separation of concerns. The three main components of this architecture are:

1. Model: Defines the data structure and manages the database.
2. View: Handles the logic that retrieves data from models and displays it.
3. Template: Responsible for the presentation layer, rendering the HTML based on the context provided by views.

To begin your journey with Django, start by creating a new project using the command django-admin startproject projectname. This command sets up the foundational directory structure, which includes settings, URLs, and WSGI configurations. Understanding this structure is crucial as it sets the stage for building your application’s features. Within your project, you can create individual applications using python manage.py startapp appname, allowing for modular development. Remember, each application can have its own models, views, and templates, making it easier to maintain and scale your project as it grows in complexity.

Optimizing Django performance is crucial for enhancing user experience and managing server resources efficiently. To begin, consider utilizing database indexing, which can significantly speed up query performance. Ensure that your queries are optimized and limit the use of SELECT * statements, opting for only the necessary fields instead. Additionally, implementing caching mechanisms, such as Memcached or Redis, can greatly reduce the number of requests to the database and improve response times. You should also analyze and minimize your middleware stack, as each piece can add latency to your application's response time.

Another essential aspect of optimizing Django performance is leveraging asynchronous programming when possible. By using tools like Channels, you can handle WebSocket connections and long-running tasks without blocking your main thread, thus improving scalability. Additionally, employing techniques like database connection pooling can help manage connections more efficiently, especially under high-load situations. Regularly monitoring your application's performance using tools like New Relic or Prometheus can help identify bottlenecks and optimize your application continuously.