Django REST Framework Contacts API Template

Description

This is a single model full CRUD API for contacts using Python, Django, and the Django REST Framework.

This is an api only. I would suggest consuming this API using React as a separate server by using create-react-app.

Contacts Properties:

Property	Type	Default
id	integer	assigned by db
name	string	n/a
age	integer	n/a

Contacts Routes:

Endpoint	Action
/api/contacts	GET (Index)
/api/contacts/:id	GET (Show)
/api/contacts	POST
/api/contacts/:id	DELETE
/api/contacts/:id	PUT

System Requirements

• Python 3
• pipenv

Installation

If you don't have either of the above, please install them.

Python3 Installation

Python Installation

1. Check what python version you have on your computer by running: python -V
2. If you're not on a version of Python that is 3 or greater, install python 3 with homebrew:
   • brew install python3
   • Note: in order to use this installed python3, you will have to use python3 whenever running a python command

pipenv Installation

pipenv Installation

To build your app, we're going to be building a virtual environment. In order to manage our dependencies and our virtual environment, we're going to use pipenv.

1. Check if you have pipenv by running: pipenv --version
2. If you do not have it, install it with homebrew:
   • brew install pipenv

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Get Set Up Locally

On your Browser

1. Fork this repository to your account

In your Terminal

1. Clone your fork of the repo onto your computer anywhere that is not a git repo
2. cd into the repo
3. Touch a .env into the root of your project and add a SECRET_KEY value. See the .env.sample file for an example
4. Install all the required packages by running: pipenv install
5. Activate the virtual environment by running: pipenv shell
   • NOTE: To exit the shell gracefully whenever you're done working, use exit
6. Create the django_contacts psql database and user by running the following while in the pipenv shell: psql -U postgres -f settings.sql
   • You can find the database name and username/password inside the settings.sql file
7. Apply the migrations by running the following while in the pipenv shell: python3 manage.py migrate
8. Make a superuser for your app, this will allow you to work directly with your database on the browser without having to use Postman
   • In the pipenv shell, run python3 manage.py createsuperuser and follow the instructions
9. Start the Django server by running the following inside the pipenv shell: python3 manage.py runserver

On your Browser

1. Go to localhost:8000/api/contacts. You should see the Django REST Framework interface like so:
2. Click the Log In on the top right corner and use the username/password you created when making the superuser
3. You should now be able to add / delete / edit / read contacts directly from your browser

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Making Changes

Updating / Creating Models

1. If you make any changes to the contacts_api/models.py file, you will need to make and run a migration to apply the changes. You can do so by using the following commands while inside the pipenv shell
   1. Make the migration: python3 manage.py makemigrations
   2. Apply the migration: python3 manage.py migrate

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Set Up for Heroku Deployment

In Terminal

1. Create a heroku app from the root of your project folder, run: heroku create
   • The above command will randomly generate a name for you, if you want to name your app something specific run: heroku create urlNameYouWantHere

In your Code Editor

1. Copy the heroku url that was created (without the https://), go to your django_rest_api/settings.py and add it into the ALLOWED_HOSTS
   • e.g.

On the Browser

1. Go to your heroku dashboard for the heroku project you just created
2. Click on Configure Add-Ons
3. Search for Heroku Postgres and add it
4. Go to the Settings, Reveal Config Vars, add a config var for SECRET_KEY and anything else you have in your .env file

In Terminal

1. pipenv lock to ensure your pipfile.lock is up to date
2. git add -A
3. git commit -m "heroku deployment"
4. git push heroku master
5. Once it builds successfully, run heroku run bash
6. While in heroku bash, apply the migrations to the heroku project by running: python manage.py migrate
7. Still in heroku bash, create a superuser for the heroku project by running python manage.py createsuperuser and follow the prompts
   • To exit heroku bash, run exit

In Browser

1. After the migrations finish, you should now be able to open the heroku app in your browser to see the Django REST interface!
   • Don't forget to go to /api/contacts
2. Remember that your heroku database is separate from your local database, so there should not be any data on the first load.
   • You can add data by logging in with the heroku superuser you created
3. You can now use this deployed version as your backend API

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Resources

Django and Rest are both fairly opinionated frameworks meaning there are right ways to do things. If you plan on making many changes to this template, I would recommend looking at their documentation:

• Django Documentation

  • Particular pages you may want to look at:
    • Making Queries (Django's built in ORM)
    • Models
    • Migrations
    • URLs Config

• Djagno REST Framework Documentation (Click on the API Guide dropdown on the nav bar to see their documentation for specific things)

  • Particular pages you may want to look at:
    • Serializers
    • Class-based views
    • Generic views
    • ViewSets
    • Routers