I’ve just released the fifth edition of my book, Django for APIs. It is available in paperback on Amazon or as an online course over at LearnDjango.com.

Django for APIs Cover

If you purchased a previous edition of the book via Gumroad then you will receive automatic access to this update. Ditto if you purchased it on LearnDjango.com.

What’s New?

This new edition covers Django 5.1 and Django REST Framework 3.15, as well as Python 3.13. All third-party packages have been updated, there are inumerable small improvements throughout the text as well a brand-new chapter on linking a Vue.js frontend to a DRF (Django REST Framework) backend.

The approach to custom user models has been updated as well as changes to how dj-rest-auth and django-allauth play together nicely.

You can also see there is a shiny new cover, thanks to working with Jason Arias, who designed the updated cover for Django for Beginners as well as the forthcoming fifth edition of Django for Professionals. As much as the failed poet in me wants highly artistic and quirky covers, I think these new ones do a good job of communicating tech, Django (via the pony), and a consistent branding scheme that makes it easier for readers to spot them.

The Writing Process

For anyone curious, it takes an immense about of effort to write a technical book. And almost as much to update it to a new edition. I went through every line of the book, making changes based on user feedback over the years, changes to my own thinking on Django topics, and updating the technologies since we are working in an ocean of quicksand when it comes to maintaining Django/Django REST Framework versions, not to mention related third-party packages. Screenshots were updated or added for all material, as well.

All versions are pinned so the book and its related codebase will work if you use them. Future editions of Django and DRF will probably work, too, and now that I have my books/courses on LearnDjango.com it is much easier for me to make quick updates than it was in the past.

The Future

I hope readers will enjoy this new edition and it will further help Django be seen as the friendly, mature, and powerful community that it is. If you want a paperback edition of the book, this is available on Amazon or if you want online access where you will always have the latest edition, I suggest the online edition.