At this stage of technology development, the choice of tools for creating your own website is increasingly difficult. Python, as one of the most important programming languages, offers an extraordinary number of frameworks and libraries.
One of the most famous frameworks is Django. If you have thought about Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino, we recommend this article to be on-topic Why is Django so powerful and you should choose it for your business application?.
So, why Django is so popular for API? Are Django and Django REST frameworks the same? And which API is best for Django?
What Is Django Rest Framework?
In short, Django is a free, high-level, open-source framework for developing web applications in Python. It allows you to speed up the development process and create a cleaner design. Its goal is to save from the extra hassle associated with developing web applications, which means writing less code.
But the Django REST framework (DRF) is absolutely not the same. Let's start with the fact that REST stands for Representational state transfer and is understood as a software architecture that defines the conditions for API operation.
The Django REST framework, in turn, is a library aimed at creating complex web API interfaces. It is a flexible and full-featured toolkit with a modular and customizable architecture that enables the development of both simple and complex designs.
Can We Create API Without DRF (Django Rest Framework)?
Yes, you can. But for what purpose? The Django REST framework includes a wide set of out-of-the-box features while remaining easy to use. This significantly speeds up and saves the resources needed to create a website or application. The advantages of DRF also include flexibility, quality, transparency, and ease of transfer between platforms of any API system.
That is, if you want to create an API using only Django, then you will be creating what has already been created before, instead of focusing on improving your product. What business owner would want to lose ground on the competition ladder for this? No one.
Django Rest Framework vs FastAPI
In order to find out whether DRF deserves the popularity it has today, you need to compare it with a similar tool, for example, Fastapi. FastAPI is also a fast and high-performance open-source Python web platform used for web API development.
Safety of use
The security functionality of DRF has been tested for years and has high standards. With it, you can be sure that your data will be protected from prying eyes. FastAPI also has a few security-focused tools, but they aren't quite enough to compete with DRF. Winner: Django REST framework.
Completeness and number of free packages
Packages are additional sets of tools that extend the capabilities of the framework and simplify its use. DRF is a full-fledged framework for web development, unlike FastAPI. The latter are minimalistic frameworks used to build fast websites. This provides it with speed and high performance.
That is, DRF is the undisputed leader in terms of the number of packages. Winner: Django REST framework.
Usage and materials clarity of different REST frameworks
In general, the DRF is more difficult to learn but has many online materials and resources. The Fast API is simpler but has the fewest online resources. Winner: Tie.
So, in this article, we tried to briefly answer the question of how do I create a REST API in Python. And after analyzing the comparison, you can choose what is more suitable for you.
The Django REST framework is ideal if you want to create reliable websites that will have a high level of security. In addition, for the creation of large-scale sites, most people choose it because of the larger toolkit, and therefore it will help you not to think about whether your site will work and give you income, but will just do your work.
