Requirements for Django REST Framework
To work with DRF, make sure you have the following installed:
Operating System : Windows
Python : 3.8 or higher (e.g., 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13)
Django : 4.2 or higher (e.g., 4.2, 5.0, 5.1)
Note: It is always recommended to use the latest stable versions of Python and Django for better support and security.
Basic Django REST Framework Setup
Step 1:Create a virtual environment inside a new folder
Open terminal and run the following commands:
python -m venv menv
This will create your virtual environment folder
Step 2:Activate virtual environment
menv\Scripts\activate
This will activate your virtual environment
Step 3: Install Django Rest Framework
pip install djangorestframework
This will install latest version of your Django Rest Framework.
django-admin startproject bookstore
Step 4:Start Project
django-admin startproject bookstore
Step 5: Start app
Python manage.py startapp books
Register your App to settings.py.
A Django App is like a small module or component in a Django project.
Each app is designed to do one specific task like managing books, users, blog posts, products, etc.
Step 6:Run server
python manage.py runserver
By running this command you will be able to navigate you to your development server.
Starting development server at: http://127.0.0.1:8000/.
Step 7:Make migrations
python manage.py migrate
Why do we migrate right after setting up a Django project?
When you create a new Django project, Django already includes some built-in apps like:
• Authentication system (auth)
• Admin panel (admin)
• Session handling (sessions)
• Content types (contenttypes)
These built-in apps have their own models (like user, group, permissions), but their database tables are not created automatically.
This command creates all the necessary tables so that these built-in features work properly.
Step 8:Create Superuser
python manage.py createsuperuser
Now ,You are able to see your admin panel on IP http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin using above user and password.
