Django REST Framework (DRF) Exam Cheat Sheet
1. Generic API Views (CBV - Class Based Views)
---------------------------------------------
- ListAPIView: GET (List all)
- RetrieveAPIView: GET (Single object)
- CreateAPIView: POST
- UpdateAPIView: PUT/PATCH
- DestroyAPIView: DELETE
- ListCreateAPIView: GET + POST
- RetrieveUpdateDestroyAPIView: GET + PUT/PATCH + DELETE
Example:
class GadgetListCreate(generics.ListCreateAPIView):
queryset = GadgetModel.objects.all()
serializer_class = GadgetSerializer
2. Serializers (Validation + Serialization)
---------------------------------------------
- CharField: serializers.CharField(error_messages={'required': 'This field is required'})
- IntegerField: serializers.IntegerField()
- Read-only: read_only_fields = ['author']
- Full Validation:
def validate_price(self, value):
if value <= 0:
raise serializers.ValidationError("Price must be positive")
return value
def validate(self, data):
if data['price'] > 100000:
raise serializers.ValidationError("Price too high!")
return data
3. Saving Current User as Author
---------------------------------------------
def perform_create(self, serializer):
serializer.save(author=self.request.user)
4. Permissions
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Built-in: IsAuthenticated, IsAdminUser, AllowAny
Custom Permission Example (Only author can update/delete):
from rest_framework.permissions import BasePermission
class IsAuthorForPatchAndDelete(BasePermission):
def has_object_permission(self, request, view, obj):
if request.method in ['PATCH', 'DELETE']:
return obj.author == request.user
return True
Apply Permission:
permission_classes = [IsAuthenticated, IsAuthorForPatchAndDelete]
5. Token Authentication (JWT or DRF Token)
---------------------------------------------
- Login to get token
- Send token in Authorization header
REST_FRAMEWORK = {
'DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION_CLASSES': (
'rest_framework_simplejwt.authentication.JWTAuthentication',
),
'DEFAULT_PERMISSION_CLASSES': (
'rest_framework.permissions.IsAuthenticated',
),
6. Overriding Status Codes
---------------------------------------------
from rest_framework.response import Response
from rest_framework import status
def create(self, request, *args, **kwargs):
response = super().create(request, *args, **kwargs)
return Response({'message': 'Created Successfully!'}, status=status.HTTP_201_CREATED)
7. Migration Errors + Fixes
---------------------------------------------
- Table already exists: python manage.py migrate --fake-initial
- Stuck migration: python manage.py migrate appname zero --fake then migrate again
- OperationalError: Check db and migration state
8. Best Practices for Exam
---------------------------------------------
- Always set author=self.request.user
- Use permission_classes
- Validate in Serializer
- Know at least 1 custom permission
- Know Token Authentication flow
- Be ready for custom status codes
- Know difference between APIView types
- Know migration error fixes
Bonus URLs Example:
from django.urls import path
from .views import GadgetListCreate, GadgetUpdateDetail
urlpatterns = [
path('gadgets/', GadgetListCreate.as_view()),
path('gadgets/<int:pk>/', GadgetUpdateDetail.as_view()),
