DRF Authentication & Permissions
Secure Django REST APIs — token authentication, JWT, custom permissions, throttling, and OAuth2 integration.
50 min•By Priygop Team•Last updated: Feb 2026
API Security
- Token Authentication: TokenAuthentication — user sends Token <key> in Authorization header. Simple but tokens don't expire. Use for internal APIs and simple setups
- JWT (JSON Web Token): djangorestframework-simplejwt — access token (short-lived, 5-60 min) + refresh token (long-lived, days/weeks). Stateless — no database lookup per request
- Session Authentication: SessionAuthentication — uses Django's session framework. Best for web apps where the browser handles cookies. CSRF protection included
- Custom Permissions: class IsOwnerOrReadOnly(BasePermission): def has_object_permission(self, request, view, obj) → only owners can edit. Global and per-view permissions
- Throttling: AnonRateThrottle (100/day for anonymous), UserRateThrottle (1000/day for authenticated) — prevent API abuse. Custom throttle classes for specific endpoints
- OAuth2: django-oauth-toolkit — social login (Google, GitHub, Facebook), client credentials for service-to-service, authorization code flow for third-party apps