Learn how to initialize a Django REST Framework project from scratch and create your first functional JSON endpoint.
1. Installation and Project Creation
First, create a virtual environment and install the necessary packages.
pip install django djangorestframework
django-admin startproject core .
python manage.py startapp api
2. Registering the Framework
Add 'rest_framework' and your new app to the INSTALLED_APPS list in core/settings.py:
INSTALLED_APPS = [
...
'rest_framework',
'api',
]
3. Creating Your First View
In api/views.py, create a simple function-based view using the @api_view decorator.
from rest_framework.decorators import api_view
from rest_framework.response import Response
@api_view(['GET'])
def hello_world(request):
return Response({"message": "DRF is alive!"})
4. Mapping the URL
In core/urls.py, link a path to your new view:
from django.urls import path
from api import views as api_views
urlpatterns = [
path('api/hello/', api_views.hello_world, name='api-hello-world'),
]
5. Running the API
Start the development server:
python manage.py runserver Open your browser and navigate to the following URL to see your JSON data in the DRF Browsable API interface:
URL: http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/hello/
