Django API Development (2025)

Framework Choice

Factor	Django Ninja	Django REST Framework
Best for	New projects, performance-critical, type-safety	Complex apps, mature ecosystem needs
Validation	Pydantic (type hints)	Serializers
Async	Native, first-class	Via `adrf` package
Docs	Auto-generated OpenAPI	Via drf-spectacular
Learning curve	Lower (FastAPI-like)	Steeper but well-documented
Ecosystem	Growing	Extensive third-party packages

Recommendation: Start with Django Ninja for new projects. Use DRF when you need its ecosystem (complex permissions, nested routers, etc).