20 Django Rest Framework Interview Questions and Answers

The Django Rest Framework is a web framework that allows you to create RESTful web services in the Django framework. If you are applying for a position that involves working with the Django Rest Framework, you should expect to be asked questions about it during your interview. In this article, we will review some of the most common questions you are likely to encounter and provide tips on how to answer them.

Django Rest Framework Interview Questions and Answers

Here are 20 commonly asked Django Rest Framework interview questions and answers to prepare you for your interview:

1. What is DRF?

Django Rest Framework is a web application framework that provides a standard way to build and deploy web applications. It is written in Python and is based on the Django web framework.

2. Can you explain the importance of serializers in Django Rest Framework?

Serializers in Django Rest Framework are important because they provide a way to convert data from one format to another. This is useful when you need to send data from your Django application to another application or service that uses a different format. For example, you might use a serializer to convert data from your Django database into JSON format so that it can be consumed by a JavaScript application.

3. How do you handle authentication using Django Rest Framework?

There are a few different ways to handle authentication using Django Rest Framework. The most common way is to use Django’s built-in authentication system, which will handle all of the heavy lifting for you. You can also use a third-party authentication system, such as Auth0, which provides its own set of tools and libraries for handling authentication.

4. What are some useful methods that can be used to authenticate a request on your API?

There are a few different methods that can be used to authenticate a request on a Django Rest Framework API. One is to use Basic Authentication, which involves sending a username and password with each request. Another is to use Token Authentication, which involves sending a unique token with each request. Finally, you can also use Session Authentication, which involves sending a session ID with each request.

5. Can you explain what token-based authentication is?

Token-based authentication is a form of authentication that uses a token – typically a string of characters – to identify a user. This token is then sent with each request, and the server can use it to verify the identity of the user. This is a popular form of authentication for APIs, as it can be easily implemented and is more secure than other methods, such as Basic Authentication.

6. Can you explain how you would set up token-based authentication for your API?

Token-based authentication is a security measure that allows only authorized users to access a given API. In order to set up token-based authentication, you will need to generate a unique token for each user that is authorized to access the API. This token will then need to be included in each request that the user makes to the API. The API will then use the token to verify the user’s identity and determine whether or not to allow them access.

7. What’s the best way to limit access to an API or endpoints based on user roles and permissions?

The best way to limit access to an API or endpoints based on user roles and permissions is to use Django’s built-in authentication and authorization system. By using this system, you can ensure that only users with the appropriate permissions can access the API or endpoints in question.

8. What are the advantages of using JSON Web Tokens over other forms of token-based authentication?

JSON Web Tokens offer a number of advantages over other forms of token-based authentication, such as:

– They are self-contained, meaning that all the information necessary to authenticate a user is included in the token itself. This makes them more secure and less susceptible to attack than other forms of authentication.
– They are easy to use and easy to implement.
– They are more secure than other forms of authentication, because they are not susceptible to attack from third-party cookies or other forms of attack.

9. What do you understand about throttling requests with Django Rest Framework?

Throttling is a feature of Django Rest Framework that allows you to rate limit the number of requests that a user can make to your API. This can be useful in preventing abuse of your API or in ensuring that your API can handle a high volume of traffic.

10. Why should we use hyperlinked APIs instead of simple primary key lookups?

Hyperlinked APIs provide a number of advantages over simple primary key lookups. First, they allow for a more flexible and scalable API design. Second, they make it easier for clients to navigate the API and understand the relationships between different resources. Finally, they provide a more consistent and predictable experience for users, as the links between resources are clearly defined.

11. Can you explain the main components of Django Rest Framework?

The main components of Django Rest Framework are the Request and Response objects, the View class, and the Serializer class. The Request and Response objects are used to handle incoming and outgoing HTTP requests and responses, respectively. The View class is used to define the logic for handling HTTP requests and responses. The Serializer class is used to serialize and deserialize data.

12. What are viewsets in Django Rest Framework?

Viewsets are a way of grouping together related view functionality in Django Rest Framework. They provide a more concise and convenient way to write your views, and can help to keep your code more organized.

13. What’s the difference between a viewset and a view?

A viewset is a class that provides a set of actions that can be performed on a model. A view, on the other hand, is a single function that performs a specific action on a model.

14. What is pagination and why is it important?

Pagination is a way of handling large amounts of data by breaking it up into smaller, more manageable pieces. This is important because it allows users to more easily access the data they need without having to load an entire dataset at once, which can be slow and cumbersome. Additionally, pagination can help reduce server load by reducing the amount of data that needs to be transferred at one time.

15. How does the ModelViewSet differ from the regular ViewSet?

The ModelViewSet is a special type of ViewSet that is automatically generated from a model. This means that it will already have all of the CRUD operations (create, read, update, delete) set up and ready to go. A regular ViewSet will not have these operations automatically generated, and you will need to set them up yourself.

16. Is it possible to create a custom permission class in Django Rest Framework? If yes, then how?

Yes, it is possible to create a custom permission class in Django Rest Framework. You would do this by subclassing the BasePermission class and overriding the has_permission(self, request, view) and/or has_object_permission(self, request, view, obj) methods.

17. What is a schema and why is it important?

A schema is a blueprint for a database that defines the structure, relationships, and rules for data stored in the database. A schema is important because it ensures that data is stored in a consistent and predictable manner.

18. How do you generate a schema for your API?

The Django Rest Framework can generate a schema for your API automatically. To do this, you simply need to add a few lines of code to your project’s settings.py file. In the file, you will need to add the following:

“`
REST_FRAMEWORK = {
‘DEFAULT_SCHEMA_CLASS’: ‘rest_framework.schemas.coreapi.AutoSchema’
}
“`

With this code in place, you will be able to generate a schema for your API by visiting the /schema/ endpoint.

19. How can you test your RESTful web service without writing any code?

There are a few ways to test your RESTful web service without writing any code. One way is to use a tool like SoapUI or Postman to make HTTP requests to your web service and check the responses. Another way is to use a tool like Fiddler to capture the HTTP traffic between your web service and its clients, and then inspect the traffic to see if the requests and responses are correct.

20. What are routers in Django Rest Framework?

Routers are used in Django Rest Framework to automatically generate URLs for a given resource. This can be helpful if you have a large number of resources and don’t want to have to manually create URLs for each one.