One thing I've never been able to figure out with Django is how to properly handle javascript. How do you all handle stuff like js dependencies? What I do now is just copy and paste a dependency like mapboxjs and keep it in the static folder. Would be great if I could use node or something like that and then have a way to import js dependencies in django templates. I've been using htmx and alpine js to sprinkle some js into my templates, but maintaining all of those js files always feel so clunky

Try creating a Django project using the Cookie Cutter Django: https://github.com/cookiecutter/cookiecutter-django/

Select yes when asked if you want "custom_bootstrap_compilation"

That will configure a gulp task runner that is capable of manage your javascript dependencies, bundle your CSS/JS, and minify your HTML, CSS, JS and images. You will still need to install npm etc. as described here. You will also need to become familiar with how to install and update Node packages. https://cookiecutter-django.readthedocs.io/en/latest/develop...