An alternative that requires even less server-side work is to use PJAX https://www.npmjs.com/package/pjax which is the spiritual successor to Turbolinks from the early Rails days. It's really a two-step process:

- create a quick JS file that loads and configures PJAX to automatically intercept links and - wherever you would have $(function() {}) ensure that it's also triggered on the PJAX load event, and is idempotent (e.g. check if you initialized a component before initializing it again)

Then you just render pages server-side like it's 2000, without any pjax-specific code needed in your templates themselves.

If you're building a data-focused product either solo or with a small team, it allows you to focus on your Python code, and anything frontend is as easy as accessing the variable in a Django template. Of course, it's a massive accumulation of technical debt - when you're successful you'll need to rewrite in a modern framework for maintainability and agility. But when you need to "punch above your weight class" and just get a product out into the world, it can be an amazing technique.