๐น 1. Django
- What it is:
Django is a full-stack web framework for Python.
It helps you build websites and web apps (with HTML templates, forms, authentication, ORM, admin panel, etc.). - Main focus:
Django is designed to create server-rendered web pages (like traditional websites). - Example use case:
- Blog website
- E-commerce site
- Admin dashboard with HTML pages
- Typical flow:
Browser โ URL โ Django view โ HTML template โ Browser displays webpage.
๐น 2. Django REST Framework (DRF)
- What it is:
DRF is a third-party library built on top of Django.
Itโs not a separate framework โ it extends Django to build REST APIs. - Main focus:
DRF is designed to send and receive data (usually JSON), not HTML.
It turns your Django models into RESTful API endpoints. - Example use case:
- Mobile app backend (iOS/Android need JSON, not HTML)
- SPA frontend (React, Vue, Angular) that fetches data via API
- Exposing APIs to third-party developers
- Typical flow:
Mobile App / React Frontend โ API Request โ DRF view โ JSON Response.
๐น 3. Key Differences
| Feature | Django | DRF (Django REST Framework) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Build websites (HTML templates) | Build APIs (JSON, XML, etc.) |
| Response Type | HTML (via templates) | JSON / other API formats |
| Views | views.py with HttpResponse/render() | APIView, ViewSet, GenericViewSet |
| Serialization | Not needed (works with templates) | Required (Serializer converts model โ JSON and back) |
| Authentication | Session-based auth (cookies) | Token/JWT/OAuth (API-friendly) |
| Front-end Integration | Tightly coupled (Django renders HTML) | Decoupled (React, Vue, Flutter, Mobile apps use APIs) |
๐น 4. Example
Django View (HTML)
# views.py
from django.shortcuts import render
from .models import Article
def article_list(request):
articles = Article.objects.all()
return render(request, "articles.html", {"articles": articles})
This returns an HTML page.
DRF API View (JSON)
# views.py
from rest_framework.response import Response
from rest_framework.views import APIView
from .models import Article
from .serializers import ArticleSerializer
class ArticleListAPI(APIView):
def get(self, request):
articles = Article.objects.all()
serializer = ArticleSerializer(articles, many=True)
return Response(serializer.data)
This returns JSON like:
[
{"id": 1, "title": "Hello World", "content": "First article"},
{"id": 2, "title": "Another Post", "content": "Second article"}
]
๐น 5. When to use which?
- Django only โ If youโre building a traditional website where backend renders HTML (like WordPress-style blog, admin dashboards).
- Django + DRF โ If youโre building a backend for mobile apps, SPAs (React, Vue), or APIs for third-party use.
โ In short:
- Django โ Web pages
- DRF โ APIs (JSON)
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