Django REST Framework API Starter

This is a powerful and secure starter project for building RESTful APIs with Django. It comes pre-configured with a modern technology stack and essential features to get you up and running quickly.

Features

• Modern Authentication: Uses JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for secure, stateless authentication (djangorestframework-simplejwt).
• Custom User Model: A flexible and extensible custom user model is ready from the start, using email as the primary identifier.
• API Documentation: Automatic, interactive API documentation powered by Swagger (drf-yasg).
• Environment-based Configuration: All sensitive keys and settings are loaded from a .env file for better security.
• Custom Management Commands: Includes a command to create a superuser from environment variables, perfect for deployment.
• Social Authentication Hooks: Includes skeletons for Google and Facebook social authentication.
• CORS Ready: Pre-configured with django-cors-headers to allow frontend integrations.

Getting Started

Follow these instructions to get the project set up and running on your local machine.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• virtualenv (or another virtual environment tool)

Installation and Setup

1. Clone the Project

   git clone [https://github.com/morshedmasud/django-rest-framework-mysql-boilerplate.git](https://github.com/morshedmasud/django-rest-framework-mysql-boilerplate.git)
   cd django-rest-framework-mysql-boilerplate

2. Create and Activate a Virtual Environment

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate

   On Windows, use venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Set Up Environment Variables

   Create a .env file in the project root by copying the example file:

   cp .env.example .env

   Now, open the .env file and fill in the required values. At a minimum, you need to generate a SECRET_KEY.

   Generate a Secret Key: You can generate a new secret key using the built-in Django utility:

   python generate_key.py

   Copy the output and paste it as the value for SECRET_KEY in your .env file.

   Your .env file should look like this:

   # SECURITY
   SECRET_KEY=your_newly_generated_secret_key_here
   DEBUG=1
   ALLOWED_HOSTS=127.0.0.1,localhost
   
   # ADMIN USER CREDENTIALS
   ADMIN_EMAIL=[email protected]
   ADMIN_PASSWORD=YourSecurePassword123
   
   # DATABASE (Defaults to SQLite)
   # DB_NAME=your_db
   # DB_USER=your_user
   # ...

5. Run Database Migrations This will create the necessary database tables, including those for the custom user model.

   python manage.py migrate

6. Create a Superuser This command will create an admin account using the credentials you set in your .env file.

   python manage.py create_super_user

7. Run the Development Server

   python manage.py runserver

   The API will now be running at http://127.0.0.1:8000/.

API Endpoints

Once the server is running, you can interact with the following key endpoints:

• Admin Panel: http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/
• API Documentation (Swagger): http://127.0.0.1:8000/swagger/

Authentication Endpoints

• Register a new user:
  • POST /api/register/
  • Body: { "full_name": "John Doe", "email": "[email protected]", "password": "yourpassword" }
• Obtain JWT Tokens:
  • POST /api/login/
  • Body: { "email": "your_email", "password": "your_password" }
  • Returns: An access and refresh token.
• Refresh Access Token:
  • POST /api/login/refresh/
  • Body: { "refresh": "your_refresh_token" }

To access protected endpoints, include the access token in the request header: Authorization: Bearer <your_access_token>