How to generate an OpenAPI document with Django and Django REST framework

OpenAPI is a tool for defining and sharing REST APIs, and Django can be paired with Django REST framework to build such APIs.

This guide walks you through generating an OpenAPI document from a Django project and using it to create SDKs with Speakeasy, covering the following steps:

Setting up a simple Django REST API with djangorestframework
Integrating drf-spectacular
Creating the OpenAPI document to describe the API
Customizing the OpenAPI schema
Using the Speakeasy CLI to create an SDK based on the schema
Integrating SDK creation into CI/CD workflows

Requirements

This guide assumes you have a basic understanding of Django project structure and how REST APIs work.

You will also need the following installed on your machine:

Python version 3.8 or higher
Django

You can install Django using the following command:
```
pip install django
```
Django REST Framework

You can install Django REST Framework using the following command:
```
pip install djangorestframework
```

Example Django REST API repository

Example repository

The source code for the completed example is available in the Speakeasy Django example repository.

The example repository contains all the code covered in this guide. You can clone it and follow along with the tutorial or use it as a reference to add to your own Django project.

Creating the OpenAPI document to describe an API

To better understand the process of generating an OpenAPI document with Django, let’s start by inspecting some simple CRUD endpoints for an online library, along with a Book class and a serializer for the data.

Models, serializers, and views

Let’s look at the key components of our Django REST API:

Book Model

First, let’s examine the books/models.py file, which contains a Book model with validation fields:


from django.db import models
 
class Book(models.Model):
    title = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    author = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    published_year = models.IntegerField()

Book Serializer

Next, let’s look at the books/serializers.py file, which defines a BookSerializer for serializing and deserializing Book data:


from rest_framework import serializers
from .models import Book
 
class BookSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = Book
        fields = ['id', 'title', 'author', 'published_year']

Book Views

The books/views.py file contains a BookViewSet that handles CRUD operations for the Book model:


from rest_framework import viewsets, status
from rest_framework.decorators import action
from rest_framework.response import Response
from .models import Book
from .serializers import BookSerializer
 
class BookViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
    """
    API endpoint that allows books to be viewed or edited.
    """
    queryset = Book.objects.all()
    serializer_class = BookSerializer
 
    @action(detail=True, methods=['get'])
    def author_books(self, request, pk=None):
        """
        Returns all books written by the same author as the specified book.
        """
        try:
            book = self.get_object()
        except Book.DoesNotExist:
            return Response(
                {"error": "Book not found"},
                status=status.HTTP_404_NOT_FOUND
            )
 
        author_books = Book.objects.filter(author=book.author).exclude(id=book.id)
        serializer = self.get_serializer(author_books, many=True)
        return Response(serializer.data)

This code defines a simple Django REST API with CRUD operations for the Book model. The BookViewSet provides a way to interact with the Book model through the API. It also contains a custom action called author_books that retrieves all books by the same author.

URL Configuration

The books/urls.py file maps the BookViewSet to the /books endpoint:


from django.urls import path, include
from rest_framework.routers import DefaultRouter
from .views import BookViewSet
 
router = DefaultRouter()
router.register(r'books', BookViewSet)
 
urlpatterns = [
    path('', include(router.urls)),
]

And in the books_project/urls.py file, the router is included in the main Django URL configuration:


from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include
from drf_spectacular.views import SpectacularAPIView, SpectacularSwaggerView
 
urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
    path('api/schema/', SpectacularAPIView.as_view(), name='schema'),
    path('swagger/', SpectacularSwaggerView.as_view(url_name='schema'), name='swagger-ui'),
    path('api/', include('books.urls')),
]

Integrate `drf-spectacular`

Django no longer supports the built-in OpenAPI document generation, so we’ll use the drf-spectacular package to generate the OpenAPI document.

Run the following to install drf-spectacular:


pip install drf-spectacular

Setting up drf-spectacular

First, open the books_project/settings.py file to see how drf-spectacular is configured:


INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
 
    # Third party apps
    'rest_framework',
    'drf_spectacular',
 
    # Local apps
    'books',
]

Adding 'drf_spectacular' to the INSTALLED_APPS list enables OpenAPI document generation for your Django project.

Next, check the REST_FRAMEWORK configuration object, which sets the schema class used to create the OpenAPI document:


REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    'DEFAULT_SCHEMA_CLASS': 'drf_spectacular.openapi.AutoSchema',
}

The SPECTACULAR_SETTINGS dictionary contains additional settings for OpenAPI document generation that you can customize to fit your project:


SPECTACULAR_SETTINGS = {
    'TITLE': 'Library API',
    'DESCRIPTION': 'A simple API for managing books in a library',
    'VERSION': '1.0.0',
    'SERVE_INCLUDE_SCHEMA': False,
    'COMPONENT_SPLIT_REQUEST': True,
    'SERVERS': [
        {'url': 'http://localhost:8000', 'description': 'Local Development server'},
        {'url': 'https://api.example.com', 'description': 'Production server'},
    ],
    'TAGS': [
        {'name': 'books', 'description': 'Book operations'},
    ],
    'EXTENSIONS_TO_SCHEMA_FUNCTION': lambda generator, request, public: {
        'x-speakeasy-retries': {
            'strategy': 'backoff',
            'backoff': {
                'initialInterval': 500,
                'maxInterval': 60000,
                'maxElapsedTime': 3600000,
                'exponent': 1.5,
            },
            'statusCodes': ['5XX'],
            'retryConnectionErrors': True,
        }
    }
}

In the books_project/urls.py file, the OpenAPI schema and Swagger UI endpoints are added alongside the api/ endpoint:


from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include
from drf_spectacular.views import SpectacularAPIView, SpectacularSwaggerView
 
urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
    path('api/schema/', SpectacularAPIView.as_view(), name='schema'),
    path('swagger/', SpectacularSwaggerView.as_view(url_name='schema'), name='swagger-ui'),
    path('api/', include('books.urls')),
]

Apply migrations and run the server

To inspect and interact with the OpenAPI document, you need to apply database migrations and run the development server.

Apply database migrations:


python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

Run the development server:


python manage.py runserver

You can now access the API and documentation:

Visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/books/ to interact with the book API.
Visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/swagger/ for Swagger documentation.

OpenAPI document generation

Now that we understand our Django REST API, we can generate the OpenAPI document using drf-spectacular with the following command:


python manage.py spectacular --file openapi.yaml

Exploring the Generated OpenAPI Document

Running the command generates an OpenAPI document in the openapi.yaml file. Let’s look at some key sections:

Document Header

The beginning of the document contains general information about the API:


openapi: 3.0.3
info:
  title: Library API
  description: A simple API for managing books in a library
  version: 1.0.0
  contact: {}
components:
  schemas:
    Book:
      type: object
      properties:
        id:
          type: integer
          readOnly: true
      # More properties follow...

Settings Influence on Generated Document

The values in SPECTACULAR_SETTINGS directly influence the OpenAPI document generation. For example, the title, description, and version in the settings:


SPECTACULAR_SETTINGS = {
    'TITLE': 'Library API',
    'DESCRIPTION': 'A simple API for managing books in a library',
    'VERSION': '1.0.0',
    # Other settings...
}

These values appear in the OpenAPI document:


info:
  title: Library API
  description: A simple API for managing books in a library
  version: 1.0.0

Server Information

The server URLs specified in the settings appear in the document as well:


servers:
  - url: http://localhost:8000
    description: Local Development server
  - url: https://api.example.com
    description: Production server

Model Parameters

The fields we defined in our Django models are also reflected in the OpenAPI document. For example, the Book model fields:


class Book(models.Model):
    title = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    author = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    published_year = models.IntegerField()

These fields appear in the OpenAPI document’s schema definitions:


Book:
  type: object
  properties:
    id:
      type: integer
      readOnly: true
    title:
      type: string
      maxLength: 100
    author:
      type: string
      maxLength: 100
    published_year:
      type: integer
  required:
    - title
    - author
    - published_year

The OpenAPI document captures all the essential information about our API, including endpoints, parameters, request bodies, responses, and schemas. This document can then be used to generate client SDKs or API documentation.

OpenAPI document customization

The OpenAPI document generated by drf-spectacular may not be detailed enough for all use cases. Fortunately, it can be customized to better serve information about your API endpoints. You can add descriptions, tags, examples, and more to make the documentation more informative and user-friendly.

In the customized branch of the example repository, you can find a customized OpenAPI document that demonstrates the available options for modifying your generated document.

The drf-spectacular package provides decorators to directly modify the schema for your views and viewsets.

@extend_schema_view: Allows customization of all methods in a viewset.
@extend_schema: Allows customization of individual methods or actions.

Customizing the API Schema

Let’s explore how to enhance the OpenAPI document by customizing the schema of the BookViewSet. Here’s an updated version of the books/views.py file with added annotations:


from rest_framework import viewsets, status
from rest_framework.decorators import action
from rest_framework.response import Response
from drf_spectacular.utils import extend_schema, extend_schema_view, OpenApiParameter, OpenApiExample, OpenApiResponse
from .models import Book
from .serializers import BookSerializer
 
# Use extend_schema_view to customize the entire viewset
@extend_schema_view(
    list=extend_schema(
        summary="List all books",
        description="Get a list of all books in the library.",
        responses={
            200: BookSerializer(many=True)
        },
        tags=["books"],
    ),
    retrieve=extend_schema(
        summary="Get a specific book",
        description="Retrieve details for a specific book by its ID.",
        responses={
            200: BookSerializer,
            404: OpenApiResponse(description="Book not found"),
        },
        tags=["books"],
    ),
    # Other methods...
)
class BookViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
    """
    API endpoint that allows books to be viewed or edited.
    """
    queryset = Book.objects.all()
    serializer_class = BookSerializer
 
    # Use extend_schema to customize a specific action
    @extend_schema(
        summary="Find books by the same author",
        description="Returns all books written by the same author as the specified book.",
        responses={
            200: BookSerializer(many=True),
            404: OpenApiResponse(
                description="Book not found",
                examples=[
                    OpenApiExample(
                        "Error Response",
                        value={"error": "Book not found"},
                        status_codes=["404"],
                    )
                ]
            )
        },
        tags=["books", "authors"],
        parameters=[
            OpenApiParameter(
                name="sort",
                description="Sort order for the books",
                required=False,
                type=str,
                enum=["title", "published_year"],
            ),
        ],
        examples=[
            OpenApiExample(
                "Book list example",
                value=[
                    {
                        "id": 1,
                        "title": "The Great Gatsby",
                        "author": "F. Scott Fitzgerald",
                        "published_year": 1925
                    },
                    {
                        "id": 2,
                        "title": "Tender Is the Night",
                        "author": "F. Scott Fitzgerald",
                        "published_year": 1934
                    }
                ],
                response_only=True,
                status_codes=["200"],
            )
        ],
        extensions={
            "x-speakeasy-retries": {
                "strategy": "backoff",
                "backoff": {
                    "initialInterval": 500,
                    "maxInterval": 60000,
                    "maxElapsedTime": 3600000,
                    "exponent": 1.5,
                },
                "statusCodes": ["5XX"],
                "retryConnectionErrors": True,
            }
        }
    )
    @action(detail=True, methods=['get'])
    def author_books(self, request, pk=None):
        # Implementation details...
        pass

Using @extend_schema_view

The @extend_schema_view decorator allows you to customize all methods in a viewset at once. In our example, we’re customizing the list and retrieve operations with summaries, descriptions, and response details.

This will appear in the generated OpenAPI document as:


paths:
  /api/books/:
    get:
      operationId: books_list
      summary: List all books
      description: Get a list of all books in the library.
      parameters:
        # Standard parameters here
      responses:
        '200':
          description: ''
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: array
                items:
                  $ref: '#/components/schemas/Book'
      tags:
        - books

Customizing Individual Actions with @extend_schema

For specific actions like author_books, we use the @extend_schema decorator to add detailed documentation:


@extend_schema(
    summary="Find books by the same author",
    description="Returns all books written by the same author as the specified book.",
    # Other options...
)
@action(detail=True, methods=['get'])
def author_books(self, request, pk=None):
    # Implementation...

This will generate OpenAPI documentation for this endpoint:


/api/books/{id}/author_books/:
  get:
    operationId: books_author_books
    summary: Find books by the same author
    description: Returns all books written by the same author as the specified book.
    parameters:
      - name: id
        in: path
        required: true
        schema:
          type: integer
      - name: sort
        in: query
        description: Sort order for the books
        required: false
        schema:
          type: string
          enum:
            - title
            - published_year
    responses:
      '200':
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: array
              items:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Book'
            examples:
              Book list example:
                value:
                  - id: 1
                    title: The Great Gatsby
                    author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
                    published_year: 1925
                  - id: 2
                    title: Tender Is the Night
                    author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
                    published_year: 1934
      '404':
        description: Book not found
        content:
          application/json:
            examples:
              Error Response:
                value:
                  error: Book not found
    tags:
      - books
      - authors

Adding Custom Parameters

You can add custom query parameters to your endpoints using OpenApiParameter:


parameters=[
    OpenApiParameter(
        name="sort",
        description="Sort order for the books",
        required=False,
        type=str,
        enum=["title", "published_year"],
    ),
]

Adding Examples

Examples help API users understand the expected responses:


examples=[
    OpenApiExample(
        "Book list example",
        value=[
            {
                "id": 1,
                "title": "The Great Gatsby",
                "author": "F. Scott Fitzgerald",
                "published_year": 1925
            },
            # More examples...
        ],
        response_only=True,
        status_codes=["200"],
    )
]

Adding Retry Logic

You can add retry configuration at the global level in settings.py:


'EXTENSIONS_TO_SCHEMA_FUNCTION': lambda generator, request, public: {
    'x-speakeasy-retries': {
        'strategy': 'backoff',
        'backoff': {
            'initialInterval': 500,
            'maxInterval': 60000,
            'maxElapsedTime': 3600000,
            'exponent': 1.5,
        },
        'statusCodes': ['5XX'],
        'retryConnectionErrors': True,
    }
}

Or apply it to specific endpoints using the extensions parameter in @extend_schema:


extensions={
    "x-speakeasy-retries": {
        "strategy": "backoff",
        "backoff": {
            "initialInterval": 500,
            "maxInterval": 60000,
            "maxElapsedTime": 3600000,
            "exponent": 1.5,
        },
        "statusCodes": ["5XX"],
        "retryConnectionErrors": True,
    }
}

In summary, the drf-spectacular package provides a variety of ways to customize the OpenAPI document for your Django REST API. You can use decorators, tags, descriptions, parameters, fields, examples, and global settings to modify the document according to your requirements.

Decorators (@extend_schema and @extend_schema_view): Customize individual methods or entire views.
Tags and descriptions: Organize endpoints for better readability.
Parameters: Define custom parameters using OpenApiParameter.
OpenAPI components: Use OpenApiExample to provide reusable components or examples.
Global settings (SPECTACULAR_SETTINGS): Modify the global behavior of drf-spectacular.

For more information about customizing the OpenAPI schema with drf-spectacular, refer to the official drf-spectacular documentation.

Creating SDKs for a Django REST API

To create a Python SDK for the Django REST API, run the following command:


speakeasy quickstart

Follow the onscreen prompts to provide the configuration details for your new SDK, such as the name, schema location, and output path. When prompted, enter openapi.yaml for the OpenAPI document location, select a language, and generate.

Add SDK generation to your GitHub Actions

The Speakeasy sdk-generation-action repository provides workflows for integrating the Speakeasy CLI into your CI/CD pipeline, so that your SDKs are recreated whenever your OpenAPI document changes.

You can set up Speakeasy to automatically push a new branch to your SDK repositories for your engineers to review before merging the SDK changes.

For an overview of how to set up automation for your SDKs, see the Speakeasy SDK Generation Action and Workflows documentation.

SDK customization

Explore the effects of your newly generated OpenAPI document on the SDK created by Speakeasy.

After creating your SDK with Speakeasy, you will find a new directory containing the generated SDK code. Let’s explore this code a bit further.

These examples assume a Python SDK named books-python was generated from the example Django project above. Edit any paths to reflect your environment if you want to follow in your own project.

Exploring the Generated SDK

After generating your SDK with Speakeasy, let’s explore the key files and how they relate to your OpenAPI document.

The Book Class

Navigate to the books-python/src/books directory to find the generated SDK code. The book.py file contains the Book class that corresponds to your Django model:


from __future__ import annotations
import dateutil.parser
from datetime import datetime
from marshmallow import fields
from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Union
from dataclasses import dataclass
from dataclasses_json import dataclass_json
from books import utils
 
 
@dataclass_json
@dataclass
class Book:
    """A book in the library API"""
    
    id: Optional[int] = None
    title: str = None
    author: str = None
    published_year: int = None
    
    def unmarshal(
        obj: Union[Dict[str, Any], str]
    ) -> Book:
        """
        Unmarshals a Book from a dictionary or a JSON string.
        """
        if isinstance(obj, str):
            obj = utils.loads(obj)
            
        return Book(
            id=obj.get("id"),
            title=obj.get("title"),
            author=obj.get("author"),
            published_year=obj.get("published_year"),
        )

API Client Code

The api.py file contains methods that call the web API from an application using the SDK:


class BooksSDK:
    """SDK for accessing the Library API"""
    
    def __init__(
        self,
        security: Optional[shared.Security] = None,
        retries: Optional[utils.RetryConfig] = None,
        server_url: Optional[str] = None,
        server_idx: Optional[int] = None,
        client_config: Optional[client.ClientConfig] = None,
    ):
        """Initialize the SDK client"""
        
        if server_url is not None:
            self.server_url = server_url
        elif server_idx is not None:
            self.server_url = utils.SERVERS[server_idx]
        else:
            self.server_url = utils.SERVERS[0]
            
        self.client_config = client_config
        self.security = security
        self.retries = retries

Notice several important parameters:

The server_url parameter, which comes from the SERVERS key in your SPECTACULAR_SETTINGS:


self.server_url = utils.SERVERS[0]  # Default to first server

The retries parameter, which is generated from your retry configuration:


self.retries = retries

Making API Requests

These parameters are used to build requests to your API endpoints:


def list_books(
    self,
    request_options: Optional[utils.RequestOptions] = None,
) -> operations.BooksListResponse:
    """List all books in the library"""
    
    base_url = self.server_url
    
    url = utils.generate_url(base_url, "/api/books/")
    
    headers = {}
    headers["Accept"] = "application/json"
    
    client = self.get_client()
    
    retry_config = request_options.retry_config if request_options and request_options.retry_config is not None else self.retries
    
    return utils.retry(
        lambda: client.request("GET", url, headers=headers),
        retry_config
    )

Retry Logic Implementation

The SDK includes a retry implementation based on your OpenAPI extensions:


class RetryConfig:
    """Configuration for retry behavior"""
 
    def __init__(
        self,
        strategy: str = None,
        backoff: Optional[BackoffStrategy] = None,
        retry_connection_errors: bool = False,
        status_codes: Optional[List[str]] = None,
    ):
        """Initialize retry configuration"""
        
        self.strategy = strategy
        self.backoff = backoff
        self.retry_connection_errors = retry_connection_errors
        self.status_codes = status_codes
 
# The implementation of the retry logic
def retry(
    callback: Callable[[], Response],
    config: Optional[RetryConfig] = None,
) -> Response:
    """
    Retries the given callback based on the retry configuration.
    """
    if config is None or config.strategy != "backoff" or config.backoff is None:
        return callback()
 
    retry_attempt = 0
    status_codes = _parse_status_codes(config.status_codes)
 
    while True:
        try:
            response = callback()
 
            # Check if we should retry based on the status code
            if response.status_code in status_codes:
                if retry_attempt >= config.backoff.max_retries:
                    return response
 
                _sleep_with_jitter(config.backoff, retry_attempt)
                retry_attempt += 1
                continue
 
            return response
 
        except requests.exceptions.ConnectionError as e:
            if not config.retry_connection_errors or retry_attempt >= config.backoff.max_retries:
                raise e
 
            _sleep_with_jitter(config.backoff, retry_attempt)
            retry_attempt += 1

This retry logic directly reflects the configuration you provided in the x-speakeasy-retries extension in your OpenAPI document, ensuring consistent behavior between your API documentation and the generated SDK.

Summary

In this guide, we showed you how to generate an OpenAPI document for a Django API and use Speakeasy to create an SDK based on the OpenAPI document. The step-by-step instructions included adding relevant tools to the Django project, generating an OpenAPI document, enhancing it for improved creation, using Speakeasy OpenAPI extensions, and interpreting the basics of the generated SDK.

We also explored automating SDK generation through CI/CD workflows and improving API operations.

Last updated on September 16, 2025

How to generate an OpenAPI document with Django and Django REST framework

Requirements

Example Django REST API repository

Creating the OpenAPI document to describe an API

Models, serializers, and views

Book Model

Book Serializer

Book Views

URL Configuration

Integrate drf-spectacular

Setting up drf-spectacular

Apply migrations and run the server

OpenAPI document generation

Exploring the Generated OpenAPI Document

Document Header

Settings Influence on Generated Document

Server Information

Model Parameters

OpenAPI document customization

Customizing the API Schema

Using @extend_schema_view

Customizing Individual Actions with @extend_schema

Adding Custom Parameters

Adding Examples

Adding Retry Logic

Creating SDKs for a Django REST API

Add SDK generation to your GitHub Actions

SDK customization

Exploring the Generated SDK

The Book Class

API Client Code

Making API Requests

Retry Logic Implementation

Summary

Integrate `drf-spectacular`