Get attributes of Django model or instance

What is the best way to get the attributes of a Django model or instance?

from django.db import models

class Musician(models.Model):
    first_name = models.CharField()
    last_name  = models.CharField()
    instrument = models.CharField()

One option is to use __dict__.keys():

>>> m = Musician(first_name='Norah', last_name='Jones', instrument='piano')
>>> print m.__dict__.keys()
['last_name', 'instrument', 'first_name', 'id']

Another options is to use _meta.fields:

>>> print [f.name for f in m._meta.fields]
['id', 'first_name', 'last_name', 'instrument']

This approach also works on models directly:

>>> print [f.name for f in Musician._meta.fields]
['id', 'first_name', 'last_name', 'instrument']

Advantages of using _meta.fields

• items in returned list are correctly ordered
• applicable to both models and instances
• only fields are returned

The fact that only fields are returned is extremely useful. Django appears to add its own attributes to instances in certain circumstances; using _meta.fields prevents these from interfering with one's own code.

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