Objectives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n- Understand the role of Django REST Framework and why it is useful.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Create a simple API endpoint for resource management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Execute GET and POST requests to read and write data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
So, if you followed my previous article on Django, you already have a configured Django project. Now, let’s see how to expose data through an API.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Django REST Framework (DRF) is an open-source framework that extends Django to build RESTful web APIs. It provides a complete set of tools for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Advanced Serialization<\/strong>: Converts Django model instances into formats (JSON, XML) usable by client applications and vice versa, ensuring data validation and custom field management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- View classes and ViewSets<\/strong>: Generic classes (e.g., ListCreateAPIView, RetrieveUpdateDestroyAPIView) and ViewSets to handle CRUD operations while minimizing boilerplate code.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Smart Routing<\/strong>: Automatic routers that dynamically associate ViewSets with URL routes, simplifying the definition of endpoints.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Authentication and Authorization<\/strong>: Native support for authentication methods (SessionAuth, TokenAuth, JWT) and permission classes to control access to resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Throttling, Filtering, and Pagination<\/strong>: Built-in mechanisms to limit requests, filter results, and paginate responses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Browsable API<\/strong>: An interactive HTML interface to explore and test endpoints during development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
It has a fairly intuitive workflow divided into serializers, views, and routers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Serializers<\/strong>: These handle the conversion between Python objects (typically Django model instances) and serialized representations (JSON, XML).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Views<\/strong>: DRF views process HTTP requests and return serialized responses. DRF offers generic classes (e.g., GenericAPIView, ListAPIView, CreateAPIView, etc.) for common operations. ViewSets aggregate multiple actions (list, create, retrieve, update, destroy) into a single class, working in synergy with Routers to reduce code further.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Routers<\/strong>: Routers automatically connect ViewSet actions to URL patterns. For example, by using DefaultRouter, you get endpoints like
\/notes\/<\/code> for list\/create and \/notes\/{pk}\/<\/code> for retrieve\/update\/delete, without needing to manually write each URL.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nEnvironment Setup<\/h3>\n\n\n\nInstallation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Make sure Django is installed, and then add Django REST Framework:<\/p>\n\n\n
pip install djangorestframework<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nAdd it to the installed apps in settings.py<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\nINSTALLED_APPS = [\n\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0...\n\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0'rest_framework'<\/span>,\n]<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\nCreating the model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let’s define a simple model for a note:<\/p>\n\n\n
from django.db import models\n\nclass Note(models.Model):\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0title = models.CharField(max_length=100)\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0content = models.TextField()\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nAfter defining the model, apply the migrations:<\/p>\n\n\n
python<\/span> manage<\/span>.py<\/span> makemigrations<\/span>\n\npython<\/span> manage<\/span>.py<\/span> migrate<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/i.ibb.co\/yBh6BW5t\/Screenshot-2025-04-29-alle-11-52-17.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating the Serializer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let’s create a file inside our app directory and name it serializers.py.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/i.ibb.co\/Pzj6D8Hc\/Screenshot-2025-04-29-alle-11-53-28.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe serializers convert the database data into JSON format.<\/p>\n\n\n
from rest_framework import serializers\nfrom .models import Note\n\nclass NoteSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):\n\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0class Meta:\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0model = Note\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0fields = '__all__'<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nCreating the View<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Open the views.py<\/code> file and delete all the existing code inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe will use a ListCreateAPIView<\/code>, which allows retrieving the list of items (GET) and creating new ones (POST):<\/p>\n\n\nfrom rest_framework import generics\nfrom .models import Note\nfrom .serializers import NoteSerializer\n\nclass NoteListCreateView(generics.ListCreateAPIView):\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0queryset = Note.objects.all()\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0serializer_class = NoteSerializer<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nConfiguring the URLs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let’s add a URL for our API, so open the urls.py<\/code> file within our app:<\/p>\n\n\nfrom<\/span> django.urls import<\/span> path\nfrom<\/span> .views import<\/span> NoteListCreateView\n\nurlpatterns = [\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0path('notes\/'<\/span>, NoteListCreateView.as_view(), name='note-list-create'<\/span>),\n]<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\nIn the main project’s urls.py<\/code> file:<\/p>\n\n\nfrom<\/span> django.urls import<\/span> path, include\n\nurlpatterns = [\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0path('api\/'<\/span>, include('nome_app.urls'<\/span>)),\n]<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\nThe Browsable API of Django REST Framework<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nDjango REST Framework includes a built-in Browsable API that allows you to explore and interact with your endpoints directly from the browser, without needing to use other tools like Postman or curl. It\u2019s a true dynamic HTML user interface that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Displays resources<\/strong>: lists available fields, their types, and current values in a clear and readable format.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Supports CRUD operations<\/strong>: automatically provides forms to send GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests, filling in fields based on the serializer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Manages authentication<\/strong>: allows users to log in via session or token directly from the interface, hiding or showing links based on permissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Shows errors<\/strong>: highlights validation errors with detailed messages next to fields, making debugging easier.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
So, if you followed my previous article on Django, you already have a configured Django project. Now, let’s see how to expose data through an API.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Django REST Framework (DRF) is an open-source framework that extends Django to build RESTful web APIs. It provides a complete set of tools for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Advanced Serialization<\/strong>: Converts Django model instances into formats (JSON, XML) usable by client applications and vice versa, ensuring data validation and custom field management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- View classes and ViewSets<\/strong>: Generic classes (e.g., ListCreateAPIView, RetrieveUpdateDestroyAPIView) and ViewSets to handle CRUD operations while minimizing boilerplate code.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Smart Routing<\/strong>: Automatic routers that dynamically associate ViewSets with URL routes, simplifying the definition of endpoints.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Authentication and Authorization<\/strong>: Native support for authentication methods (SessionAuth, TokenAuth, JWT) and permission classes to control access to resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Throttling, Filtering, and Pagination<\/strong>: Built-in mechanisms to limit requests, filter results, and paginate responses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Browsable API<\/strong>: An interactive HTML interface to explore and test endpoints during development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
It has a fairly intuitive workflow divided into serializers, views, and routers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Serializers<\/strong>: These handle the conversion between Python objects (typically Django model instances) and serialized representations (JSON, XML).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Views<\/strong>: DRF views process HTTP requests and return serialized responses. DRF offers generic classes (e.g., GenericAPIView, ListAPIView, CreateAPIView, etc.) for common operations. ViewSets aggregate multiple actions (list, create, retrieve, update, destroy) into a single class, working in synergy with Routers to reduce code further.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Routers<\/strong>: Routers automatically connect ViewSet actions to URL patterns. For example, by using DefaultRouter, you get endpoints like
\/notes\/<\/code> for list\/create and\/notes\/{pk}\/<\/code> for retrieve\/update\/delete, without needing to manually write each URL.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nEnvironment Setup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Installation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Make sure Django is installed, and then add Django REST Framework:<\/p>\n\n\n
pip install djangorestframework<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nAdd it to the installed apps in
settings.py<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\nINSTALLED_APPS = [\n\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0...\n\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0'rest_framework'<\/span>,\n]<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\nCreating the model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let’s define a simple model for a note:<\/p>\n\n\n
from django.db import models\n\nclass Note(models.Model):\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0title = models.CharField(max_length=100)\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0content = models.TextField()\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nAfter defining the model, apply the migrations:<\/p>\n\n\n
python<\/span> manage<\/span>.py<\/span> makemigrations<\/span>\n\npython<\/span> manage<\/span>.py<\/span> migrate<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating the Serializer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let’s create a file inside our app directory and name it serializers.py.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe serializers convert the database data into JSON format.<\/p>\n\n\n
from rest_framework import serializers\nfrom .models import Note\n\nclass NoteSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):\n\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0class Meta:\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0model = Note\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0fields = '__all__'<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nCreating the View<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Open the
views.py<\/code> file and delete all the existing code inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe will use a
ListCreateAPIView<\/code>, which allows retrieving the list of items (GET) and creating new ones (POST):<\/p>\n\n\nfrom rest_framework import generics\nfrom .models import Note\nfrom .serializers import NoteSerializer\n\nclass NoteListCreateView(generics.ListCreateAPIView):\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0queryset = Note.objects.all()\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0serializer_class = NoteSerializer<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nConfiguring the URLs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let’s add a URL for our API, so open the
urls.py<\/code> file within our app:<\/p>\n\n\nfrom<\/span> django.urls import<\/span> path\nfrom<\/span> .views import<\/span> NoteListCreateView\n\nurlpatterns = [\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0path('notes\/'<\/span>, NoteListCreateView.as_view(), name='note-list-create'<\/span>),\n]<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\nIn the main project’s
urls.py<\/code> file:<\/p>\n\n\nfrom<\/span> django.urls import<\/span> path, include\n\nurlpatterns = [\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0path('api\/'<\/span>, include('nome_app.urls'<\/span>)),\n]<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\nThe Browsable API of Django REST Framework<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Django REST Framework includes a built-in Browsable API that allows you to explore and interact with your endpoints directly from the browser, without needing to use other tools like Postman or curl. It\u2019s a true dynamic HTML user interface that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Displays resources<\/strong>: lists available fields, their types, and current values in a clear and readable format.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Supports CRUD operations<\/strong>: automatically provides forms to send GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests, filling in fields based on the serializer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Manages authentication<\/strong>: allows users to log in via session or token directly from the interface, hiding or showing links based on permissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Shows errors<\/strong>: highlights validation errors with detailed messages next to fields, making debugging easier.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Supports CRUD operations<\/strong>: automatically provides forms to send GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests, filling in fields based on the serializer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Views<\/strong>: DRF views process HTTP requests and return serialized responses. DRF offers generic classes (e.g., GenericAPIView, ListAPIView, CreateAPIView, etc.) for common operations. ViewSets aggregate multiple actions (list, create, retrieve, update, destroy) into a single class, working in synergy with Routers to reduce code further.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- View classes and ViewSets<\/strong>: Generic classes (e.g., ListCreateAPIView, RetrieveUpdateDestroyAPIView) and ViewSets to handle CRUD operations while minimizing boilerplate code.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/i.ibb.co\/8nnhb7BX\/Screenshot-2025-04-29-alle-11-58-35.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/i.ibb.co\/9mFCmhgM\/Screenshot-2025-04-29-alle-11-59-08.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/i.ibb.co\/gZX95SvH\/Screenshot-2025-04-29-alle-12-01-45.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/i.ibb.co\/kgHZMSCD\/Screenshot-2025-04-29-alle-12-02-14.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n