Django Ninja TS Generator

Automatically builds your TypeScript client whenever your Django Ninja schema changes.

Installation

1. Install the package:

   pip install django-ninja-ts
   

2. Add to INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py:

   INSTALLED_APPS = [
       # ...
       'django.contrib.staticfiles',
       'django_ninja_ts',  # Add this
       # ...
   ]
   

Migrating from v1.x

v2.0 switched from openapi-generator-cli (Node.js/Java) to openapi-ts-client (pure Python).

Breaking changes:

• Remove NINJA_TS_CMD_ARGS from your settings (no longer supported)
• Add NINJA_TS_FORMAT if you need axios or angular (fetch is default)
• Node.js and Java are no longer required

Configuration

Add these settings to your settings.py:

import os

# Path to your NinjaAPI instance (dot notation)
NINJA_TS_API = 'myproject.api.api'

# Where to output the generated client
NINJA_TS_OUTPUT_DIR = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, '../frontend/src/app/shared/api')

# Optional: Client format - 'fetch' (default), 'axios', or 'angular'
NINJA_TS_FORMAT = 'fetch'

# Optional: Debounce time in seconds (prevents rapid rebuilds on "Save All")
# Default: 1.0
# NINJA_TS_DEBOUNCE_SECONDS = 0.5

# Optional: Clear output directory before generation
# Default: True
# NINJA_TS_CLEAN = True

# Optional: Enable/disable auto-generation on runserver
# Default: True
# NINJA_TS_AUTO_GENERATE = True

How It Works

1. When you run python manage.py runserver, the package intercepts the command
2. It loads your Django Ninja API and extracts the OpenAPI schema
3. It calculates a hash of the schema and compares it to the previous build
4. If the schema has changed, it runs openapi-ts-client to generate the TypeScript client
5. The hash is stored in .schema.hash in the output directory to avoid unnecessary rebuilds

Configuration Options

Example: Using Axios

NINJA_TS_FORMAT = 'axios'

Example: Using Angular

NINJA_TS_FORMAT = 'angular'

Example: Disabling Auto-Generation

If you prefer to generate the client manually instead of on every server restart:

NINJA_TS_AUTO_GENERATE = False

Manual Generation

You can manually generate the TypeScript client using the generate_ts_client command:

# Generate client (only if schema changed)
python manage.py generate_ts_client

# Force regeneration even if schema hasn't changed
python manage.py generate_ts_client --force

This is useful when:

• You've disabled auto-generation with NINJA_TS_AUTO_GENERATE = False
• You want to generate the client in CI/CD pipelines
• You need to regenerate without restarting the server

Logging

The package uses Python's standard logging module. To see debug output, configure logging in your settings:

LOGGING = {
    'version': 1,
    'disable_existing_loggers': False,
    'handlers': {
        'console': {
            'class': 'logging.StreamHandler',
        },
    },
    'loggers': {
        'django_ninja_ts': {
            'handlers': ['console'],
            'level': 'DEBUG',
        },
    },
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Module not found" error

Problem: You see an error like Generation Error: Module not found: No module named 'myapp'

Solution: Ensure NINJA_TS_API contains a valid import path to your NinjaAPI instance:

# Correct - full import path
NINJA_TS_API = 'myapp.api.api'

# Incorrect - missing module path
NINJA_TS_API = 'api'

"does not have 'get_openapi_schema' method" error

Problem: The object at your NINJA_TS_API path is not a NinjaAPI instance.

Solution: Ensure you're pointing to the actual NinjaAPI instance, not a module or router:

# In myapp/api.py
from ninja import NinjaAPI
api = NinjaAPI()  # This is what NINJA_TS_API should point to

# In settings.py
NINJA_TS_API = 'myapp.api.api'  # Points to the 'api' variable in myapp/api.py

"Invalid OpenAPI schema" error

Problem: The schema returned by your API is missing required OpenAPI fields.

Solution: This usually indicates a configuration issue with your NinjaAPI. Ensure your API has:

• A title (set in NinjaAPI constructor or via title parameter)
• At least one endpoint registered

api = NinjaAPI(title="My API", version="1.0.0")

@api.get("/health")
def health(request):
    return {"status": "ok"}

"0.0 is not of type 'string'" / generation fails on Decimal fields

Problem: A model field typed as Decimal (e.g. Django's DecimalField with default=0.00) is rendered by Pydantic v2 as {"type": "string", "pattern": ...} — because decimals are serialized as strings to preserve precision — while its default/example is emitted as a JSON number. Strict OpenAPI validators reject this internally inconsistent node.

Solution: Upgrade to openapi-ts-client>=1.4.1, which sanitizes such literals before generation (and honors skip_validation on the Angular $ref-resolution path). This is the minimum version this package depends on, so a fresh install already includes the fix; if you pinned an older version, run pip install -U openapi-ts-client.

"Output directory parent is not writable" error

Problem: The package cannot create files in the specified output directory.

Solution: Ensure the parent directory of NINJA_TS_OUTPUT_DIR exists and has write permissions:

# Check permissions
ls -la /path/to/parent/directory

# Fix permissions if needed
chmod 755 /path/to/parent/directory

Schema not regenerating after changes

Problem: You've made API changes but the TypeScript client isn't updating.

Solution:

1. Delete the .schema.hash file in your output directory
2. Restart the development server
3. If using NINJA_TS_DEBOUNCE_SECONDS, wait for the debounce period

Configuration Validation

The package validates your configuration at startup using Django's system checks. Run checks manually with:

python manage.py check

This will report any configuration errors like:

• Missing required settings
• Invalid setting types
• Unwritable output directories

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging to see detailed information about the generation process:

LOGGING = {
    'version': 1,
    'loggers': {
        'django_ninja_ts': {
            'handlers': ['console'],
            'level': 'DEBUG',
        },
    },
}

Contributing

Commit Messages

This project uses Conventional Commits for commit messages.

Format: <type>(<scope>): <description>

Types:

• feat - New features
• fix - Bug fixes
• docs - Documentation changes
• style - Code style changes (formatting, whitespace)
• refactor - Code refactoring without feature changes
• test - Adding or updating tests
• chore - Maintenance tasks, dependencies, configs

Examples:

feat(generator): add support for axios client
fix(runserver): handle missing Java dependency gracefully
docs(readme): add troubleshooting section

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.