Setting Up Your First API with Django Rest Framework

Django Rest Framework (DRF) is a powerful tool for building APIs in Django. It simplifies the process of creating RESTful APIs. This guide will walk you through setting up your first API.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have Django installed. If not, follow our guide on How to Install Django Rest Framework Step by Step.

Creating a Django Project

First, create a new Django project. Use the django-admin command to set up your project.

    django-admin startproject myproject
    

Navigate into your project directory.

    cd myproject
    

Installing Django Rest Framework

Install DRF using pip. This will add the necessary packages to your Django project.

    pip install djangorestframework
    

Add 'rest_framework' to your INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py.

    INSTALLED_APPS = [
        ...
        'rest_framework',
    ]
    

Creating a Simple API

Let's create a simple API. Start by creating a new app within your Django project.

    python manage.py startapp myapi
    

Add 'myapi' to INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py.

    INSTALLED_APPS = [
        ...
        'myapi',
    ]
    

Defining a Model

Define a simple model in models.py of your new app.

    from django.db import models

    class Item(models.Model):
        name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
        description = models.TextField()
    

Run migrations to apply the model to your database.

    python manage.py makemigrations
    python manage.py migrate
    

Creating a Serializer

Serializers allow complex data types to be converted to Python datatypes. Create a serializer for the Item model.

    from rest_framework import serializers
    from .models import Item

    class ItemSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
        class Meta:
            model = Item
            fields = ['id', 'name', 'description']
    

Setting Up Views

Use ListCreateAPIView to handle GET and POST requests. Learn more about it in our Django Rest Framework ListCreateAPIView Example.

    from rest_framework import generics
    from .models import Item
    from .serializers import ItemSerializer

    class ItemList(generics.ListCreateAPIView):
        queryset = Item.objects.all()
        serializer_class = ItemSerializer
    

Configuring URLs

Finally, configure URLs to access your API. Add the following to your urls.py.

    from django.urls import path
    from .views import ItemList

    urlpatterns = [
        path('items/', ItemList.as_view()),
    ]
    

Testing Your API

Run your server and test the API using a tool like Postman or curl.

    python manage.py runserver
    

Visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/items/ to see your API in action.

Conclusion

You've successfully set up your first API with Django Rest Framework. This is just the beginning. Explore more advanced features like permissions and custom views in our Django Rest Framework IsAdminUser Permission Examples.