Overview

JSON:API support for Django REST framework

• Documentation: https://django-rest-framework-json-api.readthedocs.org/

• Format specification: https://jsonapi.org/format/

By default, Django REST framework will produce a response like:

{
    "count": 20,
    "next": "https://example.com/api/1.0/identities/?page=3",
    "previous": "https://example.com/api/1.0/identities/?page=1",
    "results": [{
        "id": 3,
        "username": "john",
        "full_name": "John Coltrane"
    }]
}

However, for an identity model in JSON:API format the response should look like the following:

{
    "links": {
        "prev": "https://example.com/api/1.0/identities",
        "self": "https://example.com/api/1.0/identities?page=2",
        "next": "https://example.com/api/1.0/identities?page=3",
    },
    "data": [{
        "type": "identities",
        "id": "3",
        "attributes": {
            "username": "john",
            "full-name": "John Coltrane"
        }
    }],
    "meta": {
        "pagination": {
          "count": 20
        }
    }
}

Goals

As a Django REST framework JSON:API (short DJA) we are trying to address following goals:

1. Support the JSON:API spec to compliance

2. Be as compatible with Django REST framework as possible

   e.g. issues in Django REST framework should be fixed upstream and not worked around in DJA

3. Have sane defaults to be as easy to pick up as possible

4. Be solid and tested with good coverage

5. Be performant

Requirements

1. Python (3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14, 3.15)

2. Django (5.2, 6.0, 6.1)

3. Django REST framework (3.17, 3.18)

We highly recommend and only officially support the latest patch release of each Python, Django and REST framework series.

Generally Python and Django series are supported till the official end of life. For Django REST framework the last two series are supported.

For optional dependencies such as Django Filter only the latest release is officially supported even though lower versions should work as well.

Installation

Install using pip…

$ pip install djangorestframework-jsonapi
$ # for optional package integrations
$ pip install djangorestframework-jsonapi['django-filter']

or from source…

$ git clone https://github.com/django-json-api/django-rest-framework-json-api.git
$ cd django-rest-framework-json-api
$ pip install -e .

and add rest_framework_json_api to your INSTALLED_APPS setting below rest_framework.

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    ...
    'rest_framework',
    'rest_framework_json_api',
    ...
]

$ git clone https://github.com/django-json-api/django-rest-framework-json-api.git
$ cd django-rest-framework-json-api
$ pip install -Ur requirements.txt
$ django-admin migrate --settings=example.settings --pythonpath .
$ django-admin loaddata drf_example --settings=example.settings --pythonpath .
$ django-admin runserver --settings=example.settings --pythonpath .

Usage

rest_framework_json_api assumes you are using class-based views in Django REST framework.

REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    'PAGE_SIZE': 10,
    'EXCEPTION_HANDLER': 'rest_framework_json_api.exceptions.exception_handler',
    'DEFAULT_PAGINATION_CLASS':
        'rest_framework_json_api.pagination.JsonApiPageNumberPagination',
    'DEFAULT_PARSER_CLASSES': (
        'rest_framework_json_api.parsers.JSONParser',
        'rest_framework.parsers.FormParser',
        'rest_framework.parsers.MultiPartParser'
    ),
    'DEFAULT_RENDERER_CLASSES': (
        'rest_framework_json_api.renderers.JSONRenderer',
        'rest_framework_json_api.renderers.BrowsableAPIRenderer',
    ),
    'DEFAULT_METADATA_CLASS': 'rest_framework_json_api.metadata.JSONAPIMetadata',
    'DEFAULT_FILTER_BACKENDS': (
        'rest_framework_json_api.filters.QueryParameterValidationFilter',
        'rest_framework_json_api.filters.OrderingFilter',
        'rest_framework_json_api.django_filters.DjangoFilterBackend',
        'rest_framework.filters.SearchFilter',
        'rest_framework_json_api.filters.IncludedResourcesFilter',
    ),
    'SEARCH_PARAM': 'filter[search]',
    'TEST_REQUEST_RENDERER_CLASSES': (
        'rest_framework_json_api.renderers.JSONRenderer',
    ),
    'TEST_REQUEST_DEFAULT_FORMAT': 'vnd.api+json'
}