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Requirements

Django REST Framework requires the following versions:

Python

3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14

Django

4.2, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 6.0
We highly recommend and only officially support the latest patch release of each Python and Django series.

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Install Django REST Framework

1

Install using pip

Install the core package:
pip install djangorestframework
You can also install optional packages for additional features:
pip install markdown       # Markdown support for the browsable API
pip install django-filter  # Filtering support
2

Add to INSTALLED_APPS

Add 'rest_framework' to your INSTALLED_APPS setting in settings.py:
settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # Django default apps
    "django.contrib.admin",
    "django.contrib.auth",
    "django.contrib.contenttypes",
    "django.contrib.sessions",
    "django.contrib.messages",
    "django.contrib.staticfiles",
    
    # Third-party apps
    "rest_framework",
]
3

Configure browsable API (Optional)

If you want to use the browsable API, add REST framework’s login and logout views to your root urls.py:
urls.py
from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
    # ...
    path("api-auth/", include("rest_framework.urls")),
]
The URL path can be customized to whatever you prefer.

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Optional Packages

Django REST Framework supports several optional packages that enhance functionality:
For automatic schema generation support:
pip install pyyaml uritemplate
  • PyYAML (5.1+) - YAML support for schemas
  • uritemplate (3.0.0+) - URI template parsing
For enhanced browsable API with syntax highlighting:
pip install markdown pygments
  • Markdown (3.3.0+) - Markdown support for the browsable API
  • Pygments (2.7.0+) - Syntax highlighting for code blocks
For advanced filtering and object-level permissions:
pip install django-filter django-guardian
  • django-filter (1.0.1+) - Advanced filtering support
  • django-guardian (1.1.1+) - Object-level permissions

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Global Configuration

You can configure global settings for your REST framework API by adding a REST_FRAMEWORK dictionary to your settings.py:
settings.py
REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    # Use Django's standard django.contrib.auth permissions,
    # or allow read-only access for unauthenticated users.
    "DEFAULT_PERMISSION_CLASSES": [
        "rest_framework.permissions.DjangoModelPermissionsOrAnonReadOnly",
    ],
    
    # Enable pagination
    "DEFAULT_PAGINATION_CLASS": "rest_framework.pagination.PageNumberPagination",
    "PAGE_SIZE": 10,
}
You don’t need to add this configuration initially. REST framework works out of the box with sensible defaults.

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Install from Source

If you want to work with the latest development version, you can clone the repository: 
git clone https://github.com/encode/django-rest-framework
cd django-rest-framework
pip install -e .
The development version may contain bugs and breaking changes. Use the stable PyPI release for production applications.

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Verify Installation

You can verify your installation by running the Django shell: 
python manage.py shell
Then import REST framework: 
import rest_framework
print(rest_framework.VERSION)
If the import succeeds, you’re ready to start building APIs!

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Next Steps

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