JWT Authentication with Django REST Framework

Last Updated : 11 Dec, 2025

JSON Web Token (JWT) is a standard used to send information as a JSON object between two parties securely. It is widely used for stateless authentication.

Stores authentication data on the client instead of the server.
Makes login and request handling faster and more scalable.
Works well for APIs and distributed systems.
Helps build secure, lightweight authentication flows.

Create and configure a new Django project

Consider a project named 'config' having an app named 'app'.

Installing Required Modules

pip install djangorestframework_simplejwt

This Installs the Simple JWT authentication library for Django REST Framework, enabling token-based (JWT) authentication.

Configuration in settings.py

In settings.py file add the app and configuration:

Python

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',

    'rest_framework',
    'app',  
]

REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    'DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION_CLASSES': [
        'rest_framework_simplejwt.authentication.JWTAuthentication',
    ],
}

Configuration in urls.py

In config/urls.py, add the JWT authentication routes:

Python

from django.urls import path, include
from rest_framework_simplejwt import views as jwt_views

urlpatterns = [
    path('api/token/',
         jwt_views.TokenObtainPairView.as_view(),
         name ='token_obtain_pair'),
    path('api/token/refresh/',
         jwt_views.TokenRefreshView.as_view(),
         name ='token_refresh'),
    path('', include('app.urls')),
]

Creating a Protected API View

In app/views.py, create a simple view protected by JWT authentication:

Python

from rest_framework.views import APIView
from rest_framework.response import Response
from rest_framework.permissions import IsAuthenticated


class HelloView(APIView):
    permission_classes = (IsAuthenticated, )

    def get(self, request):
        content = {'message': 'Hello, GeeksforGeeks'}
        return Response(content)

App URLs

Create a urls.py file:

Python

from django.urls import path
from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    path('hello/', views.HelloView.as_view(), name ='hello'),
]

Usage

To make an HTTP request use Postman (It is a graphical API testing tool that lets you send HTTP requests).

Step 1: Run Migrations and Create Superuser

python manage.py migrate
python manage.py createsuperuser
python manage.py runserver

Step 2: Obtain JWT Tokens

Use Postman or any API client to authenticate and obtain the JWT tokens. The response will include both access and refresh tokens. Provide the same username and password created during the superuser setup in the request body.