Fast API vs. Django
As a backend developer, you have undoubtedly encountered many Python frameworks. Each of these frameworks is widely adopted for web or API development. However, deciding which tool to pick for the correct use case might be challenging for beginners.
This article will discuss the differences between some of these frameworks, using Fast API and Django as a case study. We will compare both using various parameters. Before we do that, let us recap the two frameworks quickly.
What is Django
A free and open-source robust web applications framework built on Python. Django is designed to make the development of dynamic websites easy, as it removes the hassles of web development and its components. While
Django uses reusable components because of its DRY( Don’t Repeat Yourself) principle. Also, it follows the MVT framework architecture. Because of this robustness, it is unsurprising to find big firms like Disqus, Pinterest, Mozilla, and Instagram using it.
What is Fast API
On the other hand, Fast API is an ultramodern Python framework for creating REST APIs. It is much simpler than Django, lacking the MVT architectural design. This means you can quickly deploy features with a few lines of code. It also does not work on Python versions less than 3.6. Which makes it work for new projects but leaves the old ones. In them Django with DRF will have to suffice.
It contains also the Open API documentation, meaning that when you write API endpoints they will automatically be documented according the Open API standard.
The code will be compact and to the point, you do not need lots of boilerplate to setup things.
Differences between Fast API and Django
1. Packages
Having been around longer, Django has numerous packages you can easily reuse. Also, it is a full-stack web development framework, which allows you to do more. On the other hand, FastAPI is a minimalistic framework for fast web applications and microservices.
2. Learning curve
FastAPI is easy to learn, especially if you are a beginner in web development. Django, on the other hand, has a much steeper learning curve.
3. NoSQL database support
FastAPI has inherent support for NoSQL databases like MongoDB and ElasticSearch. In contrast, Django lacks official support for NoSQL databases.
4. Performance
Being a minimalistic framework, FastAPI is speed-oriented, clocking a higher performance than Django.
5. Community
Of these two Python frameworks, Django has the larger community. It is more popular, has an active open source community and has been around longer.
6. Security
Out of the box, Django addresses a lot of web security concerns. Common attacks like SQL injection, and CSRF, are inherently thwarted. Although FastAPI Baal has some security tools in its module, Django is safer.
7. Flexibility
Fast API is more flexible. It does not restrict developers to a particular project or code layout. In contrast, Django is highly opinionated. It expects you to do certain things in a specific way.
8. REST API support
Although you can use the Django REST framework for REST API development, Django lacks REST API support out of the box. On the other hand, FastAPI allows developers to whip up REST API with minimal lines of code quickly.
Conclusion
While the use you intend it for will be your choice, I hope you can get some ideas from this article. In short Django is better for building robust full-stack web applications, while FastAPI is ideal for flexible, high-performance applications or microservices. If you have any comments please leave them below.