Understanding useRef and forwardRef in React — A Beginner’s Guide

When working with React, you often hear about useRef and forwardRef . At first, they can feel confusing: “Why do I need refs when I already have props and state?” This article will walk you through the why, how, and when of refs in React — with simple examples, analogies, and real use cases. 1. What is useRef ? Think of useRef as a sticky note inside your component. Whatever you write on it will still be there even after React re-renders your component. function App() { const inputRef = React.useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null); const focusInput = () => { inputRef.current?.focus(); }; return ( <div> <input ref={inputRef} placeholder="Type here..." /> <button onClick={focusInput}>Focus Input</button> </div> ); } useRef creates a box that holds a reference to the <input> DOM element. inputRef.current po...

Leveraging Asynchronous Views in Django REST Framework for High-Performance APIs

As web applications grow, handling a high volume of concurrent requests becomes essential. Traditional Django views, which are synchronous, can slow down the system by tying up resources for each request. Fortunately, starting with Django 3.1, asynchronous views were introduced. By leveraging async views, Django can serve more requests concurrently, improving scalability and responsiveness.

Understanding Asynchronous Views in Django

Asynchronous views allow Django to handle tasks that involve waiting, like database queries or API calls, without blocking threads. This approach allows the server to handle additional requests in the meantime. In Django, async views use the async and await keywords to enable non-blocking behavior.

Example: Fetching Data from an External API

Here’s an example of an asynchronous view in Django that fetches weather data from an external API. Instead of blocking while waiting for the API response, Django can handle other requests.


from django.http import JsonResponse
from rest_framework.views import APIView
import aiohttp

class WeatherView(APIView):
    async def get(self, request):
        city = request.query_params.get("city", "London")
        url = f"https://api.weatherapi.com/v1/current.json?key=YOUR_API_KEY&q={city}"

        async with aiohttp.ClientSession() as session:
            async with session.get(url) as response:
                data = await response.json()
                return JsonResponse(data)

How Async Requests Work with Postman

1. Making the Request

When Postman sends a request, Django receives it and uses await to pause the view while waiting for the API response, allowing other requests to be handled concurrently.

2. Handling the Response

Once the data is ready, Django resumes the paused thread, processes the response, and sends it back to Postman without losing the connection.

Conclusion

By using asynchronous views in Django, you can make your web applications more efficient and scalable. Asynchronous views allow Django to handle more concurrent requests without extra server resources, making them ideal for modern high-traffic applications.

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