Setting Up RESTful APIs with Flask or Django

 Setting up RESTful APIs with Flask or Django is a common task for building web backends in Python. Here’s a high-level guide to help you decide which one to use and how to get started with each.

✅ When to Use Flask vs Django

Feature Flask Django

Philosophy Microframework (minimalist) Full-stack framework

Flexibility High – choose your own tools Convention over configuration

Learning Curve Easier for small projects Steeper due to built-in components

Best For Small to medium APIs, microservices Large applications, built-in admin

🔧 Flask RESTful API Setup

1. Install Flask

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pip install Flask

2. Basic API Example

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from flask import Flask, jsonify, request

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/api/hello', methods=['GET'])

def hello():

    return jsonify({"message": "Hello, world!"})

@app.route('/api/echo', methods=['POST'])

def echo():

    data = request.json

    return jsonify({"you_sent": data})

if __name__ == '__main__':

    app.run(debug=True)

3. For More Structure

Use Flask-RESTful:

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pip install Flask-RESTful

python

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from flask import Flask

from flask_restful import Resource, Api

app = Flask(__name__)

api = Api(app)

class HelloWorld(Resource):

    def get(self):

        return {"message": "Hello, RESTful World"}

api.add_resource(HelloWorld, '/api/hello')

if __name__ == '__main__':

    app.run(debug=True)

🧰 Django RESTful API Setup (with Django REST Framework)

1. Install Django and DRF

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pip install django djangorestframework

2. Create Project and App

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django-admin startproject myproject

cd myproject

python manage.py startapp api

3. Configure settings.py

Add to INSTALLED_APPS:

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'rest_framework',

'api',

4. Create a Serializer and View

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# api/serializers.py

from rest_framework import serializers

class HelloSerializer(serializers.Serializer):

    message = serializers.CharField(max_length=100)

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# api/views.py

from rest_framework.views import APIView

from rest_framework.response import Response

class HelloApiView(APIView):

    def get(self, request):

        return Response({'message': 'Hello from DRF!'})

5. Set Up URLs

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# api/urls.py

from django.urls import path

from .views import HelloApiView

urlpatterns = [

    path('hello/', HelloApiView.as_view()),

]

# myproject/urls.py

from django.contrib import admin

from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [

    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),

    path('api/', include('api.urls')),

]

6. Run the Server

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python manage.py runserver

🧪 Testing Your API

Use tools like:

Postman

curl

JavaScript fetch() or Python requests

🚀 Final Thoughts

Use Flask if you need something lightweight and flexible.

Use Django + DRF if you want batteries-included features (auth, ORM, admin) with less manual setup.

Learn Full Stack Python Course in Hyderabad

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June 16, 2025

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