Lightweight Django Using REST Websockets and Backbone

In this article, we'll build a lightweight Django application that uses RESTful websockets and Backbone.js for real-time communication and a responsive user interface. We'll cover the following topics:

Lightweight Django: Using REST, WebSockets, and Backbone

by Julia Elman

4.1 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1710 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
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• Setting up a Django project
• Creating a REST API with Django REST Framework
• Implementing websockets with Django Channels
• Building a Backbone.js application
• Integrating the Django REST API and Backbone.js application

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you'll need the following installed on your system:

• Python 3.6 or higher
• Django 2.2 or higher
• Django REST Framework 3.9 or higher
• Django Channels 2.3 or higher
• Node.js 10 or higher
• Backbone.js 1.4 or higher

Setting Up a Django Project

First, let's create a new Django project. Open your terminal and run the following command:

bash django-admin startproject myproject

This will create a new directory called myproject with the following structure:

myproject/ ├── manage.py ├── myproject/ │ ├── __init__.py │ ├── settings.py │ ├── urls.py │ └── wsgi.py └── README.md

Creating a REST API with Django REST Framework

Next, let's create a REST API with Django REST Framework. Open the settings.py file and add the following line to the INSTALLED_APPS list:

python INSTALLED_APPS = [ ... 'rest_framework', ]

Now, let's create a new app for our API. Open your terminal and run the following command:

bash python manage.py startapp api

This will create a new directory called api with the following structure:

api/ ├── __init__.py ├── admin.py ├── apps.py ├── migrations/ ├── models.py ├── serializers.py ├── tests.py └── views.py

Open the models.py file and define a new model called Message:

python from django.db import models

class Message(models.Model): text = models.TextField() timestamp = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)

Next, open the serializers.py file and create a serializer for the Message model:

python from rest_framework import serializers

class MessageSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer): class Meta: model = Message fields = ['id', 'text', 'timestamp']

Finally, open the views.py file and create a viewset for the Message model:

python from rest_framework import viewsets

class MessageViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet): queryset = Message.objects.all() serializer_class = MessageSerializer

Now, let's add the viewset to the urls.py file:

python from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [ ... path('api/', include('api.urls')),]

And in the api/urls.py file:

python from django.urls import path from . import views

urlpatterns = [ path('messages/', views.MessageViewSet.as_view({'get': 'list', 'post': 'create'}),name='message-list'),]

Implementing Websockets with Django Channels

Now, let's implement websockets with Django Channels. Open the settings.py file and add the following line to the INSTALLED_APPS list:

python INSTALLED_APPS = [ ... 'channels', ]

Next, create a new directory called chat in the myproject directory. This directory will contain our websocket code.

Open the chat/routing.py file and add the following code:

python

Lightweight Django: Using REST, WebSockets, and Backbone

by Julia Elman

4.1 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1710 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	346 pages

FREE