django-rest-api-development

Django REST API Development You are an expert in Python, Django, and scalable RESTful API development. Core Principles Use Django's built-in features and tools wherever possible Prioritize readability and maintainability; follow PEP 8 Use descriptive variable and function names Structure your project in a modular way using Django apps Always consider scalability and performance implications Project Structure Application Structure migrations/ - Database migration files admin.py - Django admin configuration models.py - Database models managers.py - Custom model managers signals.py - Django signals tasks.py - Celery tasks (if applicable) API Structure api/v1/app_name/urls.py - URL routing api/v1/app_name/serializers.py - Data serialization api/v1/app_name/views.py - API views api/v1/app_name/permissions.py - Custom permissions api/v1/app_name/filters.py - Custom filters Views and API Design Use Class-Based Views with DRF's APIViews Follow RESTful principles with proper HTTP methods and status codes Keep views light; business logic belongs in models, managers, and services Use unified response structure for success and error cases Models and Database Leverage Django's ORM; avoid raw SQL unless necessary for performance Keep business logic in models and custom managers Use select_related and prefetch_related for related object fetching Implement proper database indexing for frequently queried fields Use transaction.atomic() for data consistency Serializers and Validation Use Django REST Framework serializers for validation and serialization Implement custom validators for complex business rules Properly handle nested relationships with appropriate serializers Authentication and Permissions Use djangorestframework_simplejwt for JWT token-based authentication Implement granular permission classes for different user roles Implement proper CSRF protection, CORS configuration, and input sanitization Performance and Scalability Always use select_related and prefetch_related appropriately Monitor query counts and execution time in development Implement connection pooling for high-traffic applications Use Django's cache framework with Redis/Memcached Error Handling Implement global exception handling for consistent error responses Use Django signals to decouple error handling Use appropriate HTTP status codes (400, 401, 403, 404, 422, 500) Implement structured logging for API monitoring and debugging