Hi Estiverne Yardley, 

Difference Between students.apps.StudentsConfig and students in INSTALLED_APPS

Why Use students.apps.StudentsConfig?

• This is the fully qualified path to the app's configuration class (StudentsConfig) located in the apps.py file of the app.
• Using this ensures Django explicitly loads the app using the settings defined in its AppConfig class.
• It allows customization of app-specific settings, such as the app name, verbose name, or signal registrations.
• Recommended when you have additional logic in the AppConfig class (e.g., registering signals or overriding the ready() method).

Why Use Only students?

• This is a short-form name for the app. Django automatically resolves it to the corresponding AppConfig class (StudentsConfig).
• If there’s no additional logic in the AppConfig class, this simpler form works just fine.
• It doesn’t explicitly reference the AppConfig class, so while custom logic in apps.py will still work, it’s less explicit.

Example of When You Don’t Need to Register an App in INSTALLED_APPS

• Some third-party libraries provide utility functions or middleware that may not require registration in INSTALLED_APPS.
• If the module is not a Django app but just contains helper functions or classes, it doesn’t need to be added to INSTALLED_APPS.

I hope this clarifies the topic! If you have any questions or need further explanation, feel free to ask. 😊