better-nested-serializer 0.1.4

A better DRF [Django REST Framework] serializer that normalizes nested objects into separate lists for improved performance

better-nested-serializer

A tiny add‑on for Django REST Framework (DRF) that makes nested data smaller and easier to cache.

Simple idea:

• In the main object, send only IDs for nested fields.
• Put the full nested objects in one place called "related_objects".

This avoids repeating the same nested object many times and keeps responses small.

What the output looks like

When you use BetterModelSerializer, you get a response shaped like this:

{
  "object": {
    "id": 10,
    "title": "My Blog Post",
    "author": 3,
    "publisher": 2
  },
  "related_objects": {
    "test_app_author": {
      "3": { "id": 3, "name": "Ada" }
    },
    "test_app_publisher": {
      "2": { "id": 2, "name": "Tech Books" }
    }
  }
}

Notes:

• Keys in related_objects look like <app_label>_<model_name> (for example: test_app_author).
• Each value is a map of id -> full object.
• If a nested serializer also uses BetterModelSerializer, its own related_objects get merged in.

Why this is helpful

• Smaller payloads (no duplicated nested objects)
• Easy client caching (each related object appears once by ID)
• Clean split between the main object and related data

Requirements

• Python 3.12+
• Django REST Framework 3.16+
• Django (a version supported by your DRF)

Install

pip install better-nested-serializer

Quick start

1. Import the base class in your DRF serializers file:

from serializers.model_serializer import BetterModelSerializer

2. Create your serializers. You can mix plain DRF serializers and BetterModelSerializer:

from rest_framework import serializers
from serializers.model_serializer import BetterModelSerializer
from .models import Author, Blog, Publisher

class PublisherSerializer(BetterModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = Publisher
        fields = "__all__"

class AuthorSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):  # plain DRF serializer is fine
    class Meta:
        model = Author
        fields = "__all__"

class BlogSerializer(BetterModelSerializer):
    author = AuthorSerializer(read_only=True)        # nested: DRF serializer
    publisher = PublisherSerializer(read_only=True)  # nested: BetterModelSerializer

    class Meta:
        model = Blog
        fields = "__all__"

3. Use it anywhere you serialize a model instance (view, viewset, etc.):

blog = Blog.objects.select_related("author", "publisher").get(pk=10)
serialized = BlogSerializer(blog)
Response(serialized.data)

Output example:

{
  "object": {
    "id": 10,
    "title": "My Blog Post",
    "author": 3,
    "publisher": 2
  },
  "related_objects": {
    "test_app_author": {
      "3": { "id": 3, "name": "Ada" }
    },
    "test_app_publisher": {
      "2": { "id": 2, "name": "Tech Books" }
    }
  }
}

Reverse relations (lists)

You can also serialize reverse relations (like author.blog_set). Example:

class BlogWithPublisherSerializer(BetterModelSerializer):
    publisher = PublisherSerializer(read_only=True)
    class Meta:
        model = Blog
        fields = "__all__"

class AuthorWithBlogsSerializer(BetterModelSerializer):
    blogs = BlogWithPublisherSerializer(many=True, read_only=True, source="blog_set")
    class Meta:
        model = Author
        fields = "__all__"

Sample output:

{
  "object": {
    "id": 3,
    "name": "Ada",
    "blogs": [10, 11, 12]
  },
  "related_objects": {
    "test_app_blog": {
      "10": { "id": 10, "title": "My Blog Post", "publisher": 2 },
      "11": { "id": 11, "title": "Another Post", "publisher": 2 },
      "12": { "id": 12, "title": "Last Post", "publisher": 5 }
    },
    "test_app_publisher": {
      "2": { "id": 2, "name": "Tech Books" },
      "5": { "id": 5, "name": "Daily News" }
    }
  }
}

How it works (in short)

• The serializer returns 2 things: the main object and a map of related objects.
• Nested fields become IDs in the main object.
• The full nested objects are grouped under related_objects by their IDs.
• If a nested serializer is also BetterModelSerializer, it adds its related data into the same related_objects block.

Important notes

• Output only: this serializer is read‑only. It does not support data=..., create, update, or validate.
• Use read_only=True for nested fields.
• You can mix plain DRF serializers and BetterModelSerializer without problems.

FAQ

• Can I POST with this serializer?

  • No. It’s for output only.

• Do I need to change my models?

  • No. Use your existing Django models.

• What about deep nesting?

  • Works fine. Each level adds its objects to related_objects.

License

MIT (or your project’s license).