Django REST Framework Camel Case

1.4.2 · active · verified Tue Apr 14

djangorestframework-camel-case (version 1.4.2) is an active Python library that provides seamless camel case JSON support for Django REST framework. It automatically converts API request and response fields between Python's `snake_case` and JavaScript's `camelCase`, allowing developers to maintain consistent Pythonic naming conventions while exposing JavaScript-friendly APIs. The library was last updated in February 2023.

Warnings

gotcha When testing with `APITestCase`, `response.data` will contain `snake_case` keys, while the actual `camelCase` output is found in `json.loads(response.content)`. Ensure your assertions target the correct response parameter.
Fix: Use `json.loads(response.content)` for assertions in tests when expecting camel case output.
gotcha The package uses a default underscoreization convention (e.g., `v2Counter` -> `v_2_counter`). If you prefer an alternative convention (e.g., `v2Counter` -> `v2_counter`), you must explicitly configure `JSON_UNDERSCOREIZE` in your `settings.py` or as a class attribute on parsers.
Fix: Set `REST_FRAMEWORK = {'JSON_UNDERSCOREIZE': {'no_underscore_before_number': True}}` in `settings.py` or `json_underscoreize = {'no_underscore_before_number': True}` on your parser class.
gotcha If you intend to use a different base JSON renderer (e.g., `drf_orjson_renderer`, `drf_ujson_renderer`), you must specify it within the `JSON_CAMEL_CASE` setting in `settings.py`, not directly in `DEFAULT_RENDERER_CLASSES` as the primary renderer.
Fix: Configure `JSON_CAMEL_CASE = {'RENDERER_CLASS': 'your_custom_renderer_path'}` in `settings.py`.
gotcha For proper camel case representation in OpenAPI schemas generated by `drf-spectacular`, an additional post-processing hook needs to be configured in your `SPECTACULAR_SETTINGS`.
Fix: Add `'drf_spectacular.contrib.djangorestframework_camel_case.camelize_serializer_fields'` to `POSTPROCESSING_HOOKS` in your `SPECTACULAR_SETTINGS`.

Install

pip install djangorestframework-camel-case Install stable version

Imports

CamelCaseJSONRenderer

from djangorestframework_camel_case.render import CamelCaseJSONRenderer

CamelCaseJSONParser

from djangorestframework_camel_case.parser import CamelCaseJSONParser

CamelCaseBrowsableAPIRenderer
```
from djangorestframework_camel_case.render import CamelCaseBrowsableAPIRenderer
```
Optional: For camel case in Django REST Framework's browsable API.
CamelCaseFormParser
```
from djangorestframework_camel_case.parser import CamelCaseFormParser
```
Optional: Use for parsing form data with camel case.
CamelCaseMultiPartParser
```
from djangorestframework_camel_case.parser import CamelCaseMultiPartParser
```
Optional: Use for parsing multipart form data with camel case.
CamelCaseMiddleWare
```
from djangorestframework_camel_case.middleware import CamelCaseMiddleWare
```
Optional: For automatic conversion of query parameters.

Quickstart

To quickly enable camel case conversion, configure the `DEFAULT_RENDERER_CLASSES` and `DEFAULT_PARSER_CLASSES` in your `settings.py` to use the provided camel case renderers and parsers. You can also add `CamelCaseMiddleWare` for query parameter conversion.

import os

# In your Django settings.py file
REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    'DEFAULT_RENDERER_CLASSES': [
        'djangorestframework_camel_case.render.CamelCaseJSONRenderer',
        'djangorestframework_camel_case.render.CamelCaseBrowsableAPIRenderer', # Optional
        'rest_framework.renderers.JSONRenderer',
        'rest_framework.renderers.BrowsableAPIRenderer',
    ],
    'DEFAULT_PARSER_CLASSES': [
        'djangorestframework_camel_case.parser.CamelCaseJSONParser',
        'djangorestframework_camel_case.parser.CamelCaseFormParser', # Optional
        'djangorestframework_camel_case.parser.CamelCaseMultiPartParser', # Optional
        'rest_framework.parsers.JSONParser',
        'rest_framework.parsers.FormParser',
        'rest_framework.parsers.MultiPartParser',
    ],
}

# Optionally, add middleware for query parameter conversion
# In your Django settings.py file, in the MIDDLEWARE list
MIDDLEWARE = [
    # ... other middleware ...
    'djangorestframework_camel_case.middleware.CamelCaseMiddleWare',
    # ...
]

# Example of how you might integrate with a custom renderer (e.g., ORJSON)
# JSON_CAMEL_CASE = {
#     'RENDERER_CLASS': 'drf_orjson_renderer.renderers.ORJSONRenderer'
# }

# Example of customizing underscoreization for specific cases (e.g., v2Counter -> v2_counter)
# REST_FRAMEWORK = {
#     'JSON_UNDERSCOREIZE': {
#         'no_underscore_before_number': True,
#     },
#     # ... other DRF settings ...
# }

# A basic DRF serializer example (Python snake_case)
from rest_framework import serializers

class MyModelSerializer(serializers.Serializer):
    my_field_name = serializers.CharField(max_length=100)
    another_data_point = serializers.IntegerField()

# When rendered by CamelCaseJSONRenderer, it will appear as:
# {
#   "myFieldName": "value",
#   "anotherDataPoint": 123
# }

view raw JSON →