Setting Up Django REST Framework in a Django Project

After understanding the basics of Django REST Framework (DRF), the next step is to install and configure it in a Django project. Proper setup ensures that you can start building APIs quickly and efficiently.

Prerequisites

Before installing DRF, make sure you have:

Python installed
Django installed
A Django project created

If you do not have a Django project yet, create one using:

django-admin startproject myproject
cd myproject

Install Django REST Framework

Install DRF using pip:

pip install djangorestframework

Verify the installation:

pip show djangorestframework

Add DRF to Installed Apps

Open settings.py and add rest_framework to the INSTALLED_APPS list:

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',

    'rest_framework',
]

Create a Django App

Create an application where your APIs will reside:

python manage.py startapp api

Add the app to INSTALLED_APPS:

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    ...
    'api',
]

Create a Basic API View

Inside api/views.py:

from rest_framework.views import APIView
from rest_framework.response import Response

class HelloAPIView(APIView):
    def get(self, request):
        return Response({
            "message": "Django REST Framework is working!"
        })

Configure URLs

Create api/urls.py:

from django.urls import path
from .views import HelloAPIView

urlpatterns = [
    path('hello/', HelloAPIView.as_view(), name='hello-api'),
]

Include the app URLs in the project’s urls.py:

from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
    path('api/', include('api.urls')),
]

Run the Development Server

Start the server:

python manage.py runserver

Visit:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/hello/

You should see:

{
    "message": "Django REST Framework is working!"
}

DRF Browsable API

One of the best features of DRF is its browsable API interface. Open the API endpoint in your browser, and DRF automatically provides a user-friendly interface for testing APIs without using external tools.

Optional DRF Global Settings

You can configure DRF globally in settings.py:

REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    'DEFAULT_RENDERER_CLASSES': [
        'rest_framework.renderers.JSONRenderer',
    ]
}

This setting ensures responses are returned in JSON format.

Conclusion

Setting up Django REST Framework is straightforward. After installing the package, adding it to INSTALLED_APPS, creating API views, and configuring URLs, you are ready to start building powerful REST APIs with Django.