Comprehensive Research on Django Middleware

To understand Django Middleware, I will start by referring to the official Django documentation. According to the documentation, Middleware is a framework of hooks into Django's request/response processing. It's a light, low-level “plugin” system for globally altering Django's input or output.

Each middleware component is responsible for doing some specific function. For example, Django includes a middleware component, AuthenticationMiddleware, that associates users with requests using sessions.

Middleware can be used to perform a variety of functions such as:

1. Session management: Middleware can handle the details of getting and setting cookies, and managing session data.
2. Authentication: Middleware can automatically identify the user associated with the current request.
3. Cross-Site Request Forgery protection: Middleware can provide protection against Cross-Site Request Forgeries by adding hidden form fields and checking requests for the correct value.
4. Content Gzipping: Middleware can compress content for transmission over the wire.

Middleware components can process requests when they come in from the web server, and process responses on their way back to the web server. They can be activated or deactivated in your Django application by adding or removing them from the MIDDLEWARE setting.

In conclusion, Django Middleware is a powerful tool that allows developers to add extra functionality to their Django applications, such as session management, authentication, and content gzipping.