Django Powered Mobile Apps

Django is a great platform for developing the infrastructure for mobile apps. This talk covers API design, prototyping, and writing excellent documentation.

Transcript

1. Django Powered Mobile Apps Tim Kuehlhorn
2. The Scenario Your team is developing a mobile app. You’re responsible for the server it talks to.
3. The App • Native mobile client (iOS, Android, etc.) • Mobile Web Application • All of the above (and more?)
4. API Design Goals •Easy to understand •Efficient use of network •Simple to extend
5. Review the mobile app mockups when drafting your API design.
6. Until you start building the system, your design is based on assumptions.
7. I <3 prototyping.
8. By developing the app and API in parallel, you get a complete picture of your platform.
9. Enter django
10. Why Django? • Get started on design right away • Lends itself to iterative development • Wealth of existing packages
11. Django gives us an ORM and middleware, but doesn’t help you communicate with the mobile app.
12. Enter Django REST Framework
13. Django REST Framework •Serializers •ViewSets •Browsable API
14. Serializers translate your model data into HTTP content types. (Like JSON)
15. Make sure your Serializers play nice with mobile REST client libraries, like RestKit.
16. You can also nest Serializers to maximize data in a single request.
17. ViewSets allow you to define the set of all possible actions on a given resource. Routers generate a consistent URL structure from your ViewSets.
18. Browsable API Console
19. The console is great, but it’s no substitute for excellent documentation.
20. Enter Sphinx
21. Sphinx makes writing documentation fun, honest!
22. Sphinx HTTP Domain Generates a great looking reference
23. Don’t stop at just listing all of your endpoints. Write docs that explain how to use the API.
24. An ounce of instruction can be worth a pound of description.
25. You can also use your Sphinx docs like a living spec. Big changes can be sketched out quickly for review.
26. Because your docs are in source control, branching is easy.
27. Thank you! spkrbar.com/talk/16/