Django and Django REST framework are both frameworks for web development in Python, but they serve different purposes and have distinct features.
Django: Django is a high-level web framework that simplifies and streamlines the process of building web applications. It follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern, where:
Model: Represents the data structure of your application, typically by defining database tables and their relationships using Python classes.
View: Handles the presentation logic, rendering data from the model into templates (HTML files).
Controller: Manages the interaction between the model and the view, handling user input and updating the model accordingly.
Django provides a wide range of tools and features for database modeling, URL routing, template rendering, user authentication, and more. It's well-suited for creating complex web applications that require a robust backend structure.
Django REST framework (DRF): Django REST framework is an extension of Django that focuses specifically on building RESTful APIs. It allows developers to create APIs with ease by providing tools for serialization, authentication, pagination, viewsets, and more. Some key features of DRF include:
Serialization: Easily convert complex data types, such as Django model instances, into JSON, XML, or other content types.
Viewsets and Serializers: Define how data should be displayed and interacted with in API views. Serializers handle the conversion of data to and from JSON.
Authentication and Permissions: Implement authentication methods (e.g., token-based, OAuth) and control access to API endpoints based on user permissions.
Pagination: Automatically paginate large result sets to improve API performance.
View decorators and mixins: Provide reusable components for building common API behaviors.
In summary, while both Django and Django REST framework are built on top of the Django foundation, they serve different purposes. Django is a general-purpose web framework for creating full-stack web applications, while Django REST framework is specialized for building APIs that adhere to the principles of Representational State Transfer (REST). If you're building a web application with a front-end and back-end, you'll likely use Django. If you're building an API to provide data or services to other applications, you'll find Django REST framework to be a powerful tool for that purpose.