Overview

Django REST Framework 3.16, released on March 28, 2025, adds support for Django 5.2 and Python 3.13, and raises the minimum to Django 4.2.

Main Features

Django 5.2 and Python 3.13 support

DRF 3.16 is compatible with Django 5.2 LTS and Python 3.13. The minimum requirements are now Django 4.2 and Python 3.10.

python 
# settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    ...
    'rest_framework',
]

REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    'DEFAULT_PERMISSION_CLASSES': [
        'rest_framework.permissions.IsAuthenticated',
    ],
}

Improved serializers

Serializers benefit from performance improvements and better handling of nested fields.

python 
from rest_framework import serializers, viewsets

class ArticleSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = Article
        fields = ['id', 'title', 'content']

class ArticleViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
    queryset = Article.objects.all()
    serializer_class = ArticleSerializer

Sources