Learn Django REST API in just 30 minutes with this Django tutorial

Welcome to this tutorial on creating a Django REST API in just 30 minutes! Django is a high-level Python web framework that makes it easy to build web applications quickly and efficiently. In this tutorial, we will focus on creating a REST API using Django’s built-in capabilities.

1. Install Django
   The first step is to install Django if you haven’t already. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:

   pip install django

2. Create a new Django project
   Next, create a new Django project by running the following command in your terminal:

   django-admin startproject myapi

   This will create a new directory called myapi with the necessary project files.

3. Create a Django app
   Navigate into the myapi directory and create a new Django app by running the following command:

   python manage.py startapp myapp

4. Define models
   Open the models.py file in the myapp directory and define your models. For this tutorial, let’s create a simple model for a Product:

   
   from django.db import models

class Product(models.Model):
name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
price = models.FloatField()

5. Create migrations
Generate migrations for your models by running the following commands in your terminal:

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

6. Create serializers
Next, create serializers for your models in a new file called `serializers.py` in the `myapp` directory:
```python
from rest_framework import serializers
from .models import Product

class ProductSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = Product
        fields = '__all__'

1. Create views
   Create views for your API by defining viewsets in a new file called views.py in the myapp directory:

   
   from rest_framework import viewsets
   from .models import Product
   from .serializers import ProductSerializer

class ProductViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
queryset = Product.objects.all()
serializer_class = ProductSerializer

8. Register views
Register your views in the `urls.py` file in the `myapp` directory:
```python
from rest_framework import routers
from .views import ProductViewSet

router = routers.DefaultRouter()
router.register(r'products', ProductViewSet)

urlpatterns = router.urls

1. Update the main urls.py file
   Include your app’s URLs in the main urls.py file in the myapi directory:

   
   from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
path(‘api/’, include(‘myapp.urls’)),
]

10. Run the server
Start the Django server by running the following command in your terminal:

python manage.py runserver

11. Test the API
You can now test your API by navigating to `http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/products` in your web browser. You should see a list of products if everything is set up correctly.

Congratulations! You have successfully created a Django REST API in just 30 minutes. This tutorial covers the basics of creating a simple API using Django's built-in features. There is a lot more you can do with Django and the Django REST framework, so make sure to explore the documentation for more advanced features and customization options. Happy coding!