In software development, the term "class" typically refers to a concept in object-oriented programming (OOP). A class is a blueprint or template that defines the structure and behavior of objects in a program. Objects are instances of classes, and classes are fundamental building blocks of OOP paradigms that allow for organized and reusable code structuring.

Here are some key concepts related to classes:

1. Properties or Attributes: Classes define the properties or data that an object can contain. These properties are often referred to as variables or fields.

2. Methods: Classes also include methods that describe the behavior of objects. Methods are functions that can access and manipulate the data within the class.

3. Encapsulation: Classes provide a way to hide data and control access to that data. This is known as encapsulation and helps maintain data integrity.

4. Inheritance: Classes can inherit from other classes, meaning they can inherit the properties and methods of another class. This allows for creating hierarchical class structures and promotes code reuse.

5. Polymorphism: Polymorphism is a concept that allows different classes or objects to be used in a uniform way. This is often achieved by overriding methods in derived classes.

A simple example of a class in programming could be a "Person." The "Person" class might have properties like name, age, and gender, as well as methods for updating these properties or displaying information about the person.

Here's a simplified example in Python that demonstrates a "Person" class:

class Person:
    def __init__(self, name, age, gender):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age
        self.gender = gender

    def introduce(self):
        print(f"My name is {self.name}, I am {self.age} years old, and I am {self.gender}.")

# Create an object of the "Person" class
person1 = Person("Max", 30, "male")
person1.introduce()

This example illustrates how to create a class, create objects from that class, and call methods on those objects.

Django is an open-source web framework written in Python, used for rapid web application development. It was originally developed in 2005 by Adrian Holovaty and Simon Willison and has since become one of the most popular and widely adopted web frameworks.

Django follows the Model-View-Template (MVT) pattern, which has a similar structure to the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern. It provides a comprehensive set of tools and features that assist developers in quickly building and scaling web applications.

Some of the key features of Django are:

1. Database Access: Django includes a built-in Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) that facilitates database access. Developers can write database queries in Python code without directly using SQL.

2. URL Routing: Django offers a powerful URL routing system that maps URLs to views, controlling user requests.

3. Template Engine: Django uses a simple and powerful template engine, allowing developers to create reusable and dynamic HTML templates.

4. Forms and Validation: It provides an abstraction layer for handling forms and validating user inputs.

5. Authentication and Security: Django includes features for implementing user authentication and security mechanisms, such as protection against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF).

6. Admin Interface: Django comes with a built-in admin interface that allows developers to easily create an admin interface for their applications to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on data models.

Django is known for its user-friendliness, well-structured documentation, and an active developer community that continually contributes new features and extensions. It is commonly used for developing content management systems (CMS), social networks, e-commerce websites, and other complex web applications.