Building a Production-Ready Django REST API with JWT Auth and Docker

Introduction

In this guide we build a production-grade REST API from scratch using Django REST Framework, SimpleJWT for authentication, and Docker Compose for local and CI environments.

Project Setup

Start with a clean Django project and install the core dependencies:

pip install django djangorestframework djangorestframework-simplejwt psycopg2-binary celery redis

JWT Authentication

Configure SimpleJWT in settings and wire up the token endpoints. Use short-lived access tokens (15 min) and longer refresh tokens (7 days) to balance security and UX.

Dockerising the Stack

A docker-compose.yml with separate services for Django, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Celery gives you a reproducible environment from dev to production.

Going to Production

Add Gunicorn, Nginx, and a GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline that runs tests, builds the Docker image, and pushes to AWS ECR before deploying to ECS Fargate.