Django REST framework JWT is a JSON Web Token authentication plugin for Django REST Framework. It provides a simple and secure way to implement token-based authentication in Django REST Framework applications, allowing for stateless authentication between clients and servers.

Pros

• Easy integration with Django REST Framework
• Stateless authentication, reducing server-side storage requirements
• Supports token expiration and refresh mechanisms
• Compatible with various client-side frameworks and mobile applications

Cons

• No longer actively maintained (last update in 2018)
• Lacks some modern security features found in newer JWT libraries
• Limited built-in support for token revocation
• May require additional configuration for complex authentication scenarios

Code Examples

1. Setting up JWT authentication in Django settings:

REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    'DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION_CLASSES': [
        'rest_framework_jwt.authentication.JSONWebTokenAuthentication',
    ],
}

JWT_AUTH = {
    'JWT_EXPIRATION_DELTA': datetime.timedelta(days=1),
    'JWT_ALLOW_REFRESH': True,
    'JWT_REFRESH_EXPIRATION_DELTA': datetime.timedelta(days=7),
}

2. Obtaining a JWT token:

from rest_framework_jwt.views import obtain_jwt_token

urlpatterns = [
    path('api-token-auth/', obtain_jwt_token),
]

3. Refreshing a JWT token:

from rest_framework_jwt.views import refresh_jwt_token

urlpatterns = [
    path('api-token-refresh/', refresh_jwt_token),
]

4. Using JWT authentication in a view:

from rest_framework.views import APIView
from rest_framework.response import Response
from rest_framework_jwt.authentication import JSONWebTokenAuthentication
from rest_framework.permissions import IsAuthenticated

class ProtectedView(APIView):
    authentication_classes = [JSONWebTokenAuthentication]
    permission_classes = [IsAuthenticated]

    def get(self, request):
        return Response({'message': 'This is a protected view'})

Getting Started

1. Install the package:

   pip install djangorestframework-jwt
   

2. Add rest_framework_jwt to your INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py:

   INSTALLED_APPS = [
       # ...
       'rest_framework',
       'rest_framework_jwt',
   ]
   

3. Configure authentication classes in settings.py:

   REST_FRAMEWORK = {
       'DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION_CLASSES': [
           'rest_framework_jwt.authentication.JSONWebTokenAuthentication',
       ],
   }
   

4. Add JWT views to your urls.py:

   from rest_framework_jwt.views import obtain_jwt_token, refresh_jwt_token
   
   urlpatterns = [
       path('api-token-auth/', obtain_jwt_token),
       path('api-token-refresh/', refresh_jwt_token),
   ]
   

5. Use the JSONWebTokenAuthentication class in your views or set it as the default authentication class.