Building APIs with Django Rest Framework vs. FastAPI

Overview of Django Rest Framework and FastAPI

When developing APIs in Python, Django Rest Framework (DRF) and FastAPI are two popular choices. DRF is built on Django, providing a powerful toolkit for building Web APIs, while FastAPI is a modern, high-performance web framework for building APIs with Python 3.6+ based on standard Python type hints.

Key Features

Setting Up the Environment

Django Rest Framework

1. Install Django and DRF:

bash
pip install django djangorestframework

1. Create a Django Project:

bash
django-admin startproject myproject
cd myproject

1. Add DRF to Installed Apps:

Edit myproject/settings.py:

python
INSTALLED_APPS = [
...
'rest_framework',
]

1. Create a Django App:

bash
python manage.py startapp myapp

FastAPI

1. Install FastAPI and Uvicorn:

bash
pip install fastapi uvicorn

1. Create a FastAPI Project:

Create a file named main.py:

“`python
from fastapi import FastAPI

app = FastAPI()

@app.get(“/”)
async def read_root():
return {“Hello”: “World”}
“`

1. Run the FastAPI Server:

bash
uvicorn main:app --reload

Building an API

Django Rest Framework

1. Define a Model:

Edit myapp/models.py:

“`python
from django.db import models

class Item(models.Model):
name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
description = models.TextField()
“`

1. Create a Serializer:

Edit myapp/serializers.py:

“`python
from rest_framework import serializers
from .models import Item

class ItemSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
class Meta:
model = Item
fields = ‘all‘
“`

1. Create a ViewSet:

Edit myapp/views.py:

“`python
from rest_framework import viewsets
from .models import Item
from .serializers import ItemSerializer

class ItemViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
queryset = Item.objects.all()
serializer_class = ItemSerializer
“`

1. Configure URLs:

Edit myapp/urls.py:

“`python
from django.urls import path, include
from rest_framework.routers import DefaultRouter
from .views import ItemViewSet

router = DefaultRouter()
router.register(r’items’, ItemViewSet)

urlpatterns = [
path(”, include(router.urls)),
]
“`

1. Include App URLs in Project:

Edit myproject/urls.py:

“`python
from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include

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

FastAPI

1. Define a Pydantic Model:

Edit main.py:

“`python
from pydantic import BaseModel

class Item(BaseModel):
name: str
description: str
“`

1. Create an Endpoint:

Edit main.py:

“`python
items = {}

@app.post(“/items/{item_id}”)
async def create_item(item_id: int, item: Item):
items[item_id] = item
return item
“`

1. Get an Item:

python
@app.get("/items/{item_id}")
async def read_item(item_id: int):
return items.get(item_id)

Performance Considerations

Django Rest Framework

DRF is inherently synchronous and carries the overhead of Django, which might not be suitable for high-concurrency, real-time applications. However, it excels in rapid development and has robust features for authentication, permissions, and serialization.

FastAPI

FastAPI is designed for speed. Its asynchronous capabilities, powered by ASGI, make it an excellent choice for applications requiring high concurrency, such as chat applications or APIs with long-lived connections.

Summary

Both Django Rest Framework and FastAPI have their strengths and are suited to different types of projects. DRF is a better fit for projects that require a robust infrastructure with extensive database interactions and built-in features, while FastAPI is ideal for developing lightweight, high-performance applications with a modern codebase.