Differences Between REST API Using Django and FastAPI

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Fast API vs Rest API

1. Overview of Django and FastAPI

Django

• Type: Full-stack web framework.
• Primary Use: Suitable for building robust web applications with a rich set of features.
• Key Features:
• Built-in ORM (Object-Relational Mapping).
• Admin interface.
• Middleware support.
• Strong community and ecosystem.
• Learning Curve: Moderate; useful for those familiar with traditional MVC patterns.

FastAPI

• Type: Modern, fast (high-performance) web framework for building APIs.
• Primary Use: Ideal for building APIs quickly with a focus on performance.
• Key Features:
• Automatic generation of OpenAPI documentation.
• Full support for asynchronous programming (async/await).
• Type hints for data validation.
• Very lightweight and minimalistic.
• Learning Curve: Moderate; takes advantage of Python’s type hints for validation and serialization.

2. Key Differences

Feature	Django	FastAPI
Framework Type	Full-stack framework	Lightweight API framework
Performance	Good, but slower due to synchronous nature	Excellent; designed for async operations
Automatic Docs	Requires setup (e.g., drf-yasg)	Automatic generation of OpenAPI docs
ORM	Built-in ORM for database interactions	No built-in ORM; works well with SQLAlchemy
Asynchronous Support	Limited (as of Django 3.1+)	Full support for async/await
Serialization	Uses serializers with Django REST Framework	Uses Pydantic for data validation and serialization
Admin Interface	Built-in admin interface	No built-in admin; needs custom implementation

3. Example: Simple Item API

Example Using Django

Setup Steps:

1. Install Django and Django REST Framework:

Bash

 

pip install django djangorestframework

2. Create a Django Project and App:

Bash

 

django-admin startproject myproject

cd myproject

django-admin startapp myapp

3. Configure settings.py:

Python

 

# myproject/settings.py

INSTALLED_APPS = [

    ...

    'rest_framework',

    'myapp',

]

4. Define the Model:

Python

 

# myapp/models.py

from django.db import models

 

class Item(models.Model):

    name = models.CharField(max_length=100)

    description = models.TextField()

5. Create a Serializer:

Python

 

# myapp/serializers.py

from rest_framework import serializers

from .models import Item

 

class ItemSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):

    class Meta:

        model = Item

        fields = '__all__'

6. Create Views:

Python

 

# myapp/views.py

from rest_framework import viewsets

from .models import Item

from .serializers import ItemSerializer

 

class ItemViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):

    queryset = Item.objects.all()

    serializer_class = ItemSerializer

7. Configure URLs:

Python

 

# myapp/urls.py

from django.urls import path, include

from rest_framework.routers import DefaultRouter

from .views import ItemViewSet

 

router = DefaultRouter()

router.register(r'items', ItemViewSet)

 

urlpatterns = [

    path('', include(router.urls)),

]

8. Include App URLs in Project URLs:

Python

 

# myproject/urls.py

from django.contrib import admin

from django.urls import path, include

 

urlpatterns = [

    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),

    path('api/', include('myapp.urls')),

]

9. Run Migrations and Start Server:

Bash

 

python manage.py makemigrations

python manage.py migrate

python manage.py runserver

Accessing the API:

• Create an Item:

http

 

POST /api/items/

Content-Type: application/json

 

{

    "name": "Item 1",

    "description": "This is item 1"

}

• Get All Items:

http

 

GET /api/items/

 

 

Example Using FastAPI

Setup Steps:

1. Install FastAPI and Uvicorn:

Bash

 

pip install fastapi uvicorn

2. Create a Simple API:

Python

 

# main.py

from fastapi import FastAPI, HTTPException

from pydantic import BaseModel

from typing import List

 

app = FastAPI()

 

class Item(BaseModel):

    id: int

    name: str

    description: str

 

items = []

 

@app.post("/items/", response_model=Item)

def create_item(item: Item):

    items.append(item)

    return item

 

@app.get("/items/", response_model=List[Item])

def read_items():

    return items

 

@app.get("/items/{item_id}", response_model=Item)

def read_item(item_id: int):

    for item in items:

        if item.id == item_id:

            return item

    raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Item not found")

 

@app.delete("/items/{item_id}")

def delete_item(item_id: int):

    global items

    items = [item for item in items if item.id != item_id]

    return {"message": "Item deleted"}

3. Run the Server:

Bash

 

uvicorn main:app –reload

Accessing the API:

• Create an Item:

http

 

POST /items/

Content-Type: application/json

 

{

    "id": 1,

    "name": "Item 1",

    "description": "This is item 1"

}

• Get All Items:

http

 

GET /items/

• Swagger UI for Documentation: Access at http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs for interactive API documentation.

4. Conclusion

Both Django and FastAPI have their strengths and weaknesses:

• Django is ideal for building full-fledged applications where you need an ORM, admin panel, and built-in features. It's particularly useful for larger projects or those that require more than just an API.
• FastAPI excels in scenarios where performance is critical, and you need to build APIs quickly. It supports asynchronous programming, making it suitable for high-concurrency applications.