Getting started with Django can be an exciting journey for beginners looking to develop powerful web applications. First and foremost, ensure that you have Python installed on your machine, as Django is a high-level web framework built on it. To begin, you can install Django using pip, Python's package installer. Open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command: pip install Django. Once installed, you can verify your installation by typing python -m django --version, which will display the current version of Django installed on your system.

After setting up Django, the next step is to create your first project. Navigate to your desired directory in the terminal and use the command django-admin startproject myproject, replacing myproject with your desired project name. This command will create a new directory with the essential files and structure needed to get your project up and running. Inside this directory, you can run the development server using python manage.py runserver. Open your web browser and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:8000/ to see your new Django project live. Remember, practice is key, so don’t hesitate to explore Django’s robust documentation to deepen your understanding.

Django is a powerful web framework that comes with a robust set of features right out of the box, but it’s the community-driven packages that truly enhance its functionality. Here are the top 10 Django packages every developer should know:

1. Django REST framework: This package is essential for building Web APIs. It simplifies the process of creating a RESTful interface with support for serialization, authentication, and viewsets.
2. Celery: When it comes to handling asynchronous tasks, Celery is the go-to choice for Django developers. It allows you to run background tasks and manage scheduled jobs with ease.
3. Django Allauth: For projects that require user authentication, Django Allauth provides a comprehensive solution that supports social authentication and email verification.
4. Django Debug Toolbar: This invaluable tool is perfect for debugging your applications, offering insights into SQL queries, cache usage, and more right in your browser.
5. Django Crispy Forms: This package helps you to manage forms in a clean and efficient manner, allowing for flexible layout options and improved user interface.

Continuing with our list, the following packages are also essential for enhancing the capabilities of your Django projects:

6. Django Storages: If you need to handle file uploads and storage in various cloud providers, Django Storages offers you a streamlined way to integrate services like Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage.
7. Django Cors Headers: Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is crucial for API development, and this package enables you to easily manage CORS headers for your Django app.
8. Django Compressor: For optimization, Django Compressor can help you compress and combine CSS and JavaScript files, improving load times and overall performance.
9. Django Filter: This package simplifies the process of filtering querysets based on user input, making it easier to build dynamic applications that respond to user needs.
10. Django Guardian: If your application requires object-level permissions, Django Guardian is the perfect solution, allowing fine-grained access control over your models.

Optimizing your Django web application for performance is crucial for improving user experience and ensuring efficient resource usage. Start by implementing caching strategies, which can drastically reduce database queries and page load times. Use Django's built-in caching framework to implement file-based caching, database caching, or Memcached. Furthermore, make use of the django-debug-toolbar to monitor performance bottlenecks and understand where optimizations are needed.

Another essential aspect of performance optimization is database tuning. Ensuring that your Django models are designed efficiently can lead to faster query responses. Utilize select_related and prefetch_related to minimize the number of database hits when retrieving related objects. Additionally, keep your database indexes up to date and analyze your query patterns to refine your database schema. By focusing on caching and database performance, your Django web application will offer a faster, more responsive experience for users.