DRF installation and setup in Django - Mini Project: Build & Apply

DRF installation and setup

📖 Scenario: You are starting a new Django project and want to add REST API capabilities using Django REST Framework (DRF). This will allow your project to handle API requests easily.

🎯 Goal: Set up Django REST Framework in your Django project by installing the package, adding it to your project settings, and creating a simple API app structure.

📋 What You'll Learn

Install Django REST Framework package

Add 'rest_framework' to the INSTALLED_APPS list in settings.py

Create a new Django app called 'api'

Include the 'api' app in INSTALLED_APPS

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Many web projects need to provide data through APIs for mobile apps or frontend frameworks. Setting up DRF is the first step to build these APIs.

💼 Career

Knowing how to install and configure Django REST Framework is essential for backend developers working with Django to create RESTful APIs.

1

Install Django REST Framework package

Run the command pip install djangorestframework in your terminal to install the Django REST Framework package.

Django

# Run pip install djangorestframework in your terminal
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use the pip tool to install the package named djangorestframework.

2

Add 'rest_framework' to INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py

In your Django project's settings.py file, add the string 'rest_framework' to the INSTALLED_APPS list.

Django

# Add 'rest_framework' to INSTALLED_APPS list
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    # Your code here
]

Need a hint?

Find the INSTALLED_APPS list in settings.py and add 'rest_framework' as a new item.

3

Create a new Django app called 'api'

Run the command python manage.py startapp api in your terminal to create a new app named api.

Django

# Run python manage.py startapp api in your terminal
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use Django's management command startapp to create a new app folder named api.

4

Add the 'api' app to INSTALLED_APPS

In your settings.py file, add the string 'api' to the INSTALLED_APPS list below 'rest_framework'.

Django

# Add 'api' to INSTALLED_APPS list in settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'rest_framework',
    # Your code here
]

Need a hint?

Open settings.py and add 'api' to the INSTALLED_APPS list after 'rest_framework'.