Filtering, Search, and Pagination
Make large API responses usable.
Filtering, Search, and Pagination is a free Django Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 4 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Django Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.
Big Responses Are a Problem
Returning thousands of rows in one response is slow and unwieldy. DRF gives you filtering, search, and pagination to keep payloads usable.
Why Pagination First
Pagination splits a large list into pages, so clients fetch a slice at a time instead of everything at once.
Turning On Pagination
Set a default pagination class and page size in settings, and every list view starts paginating automatically.
REST_FRAMEWORK = {
'DEFAULT_PAGINATION_CLASS':
'rest_framework.pagination.PageNumberPagination',
'PAGE_SIZE': 10,
}The Paginated Shape
PageNumberPagination wraps results with count, next, and previous links, so clients can walk through pages easily. 📄
Pagination Styles
Pick a style: PageNumberPagination uses page numbers, while LimitOffsetPagination lets clients ask for a limit and offset directly.
Now, Filtering
Filtering narrows results by exact field values, like asking only for books where the author id is 5.
Adding DjangoFilterBackend
Install django-filter, enable DjangoFilterBackend, and list the fields clients may filter on with filterset_fields.
class BookViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
queryset = Book.objects.all()
filterset_fields = ['author', 'published_year']Filters as Query Params
Clients filter through the URL query string, so a request like /books/?author=5 returns only that author's books. 🔍
Search vs Filter
SearchFilter does fuzzy text matching across fields, while filtering matches exact values. Search is for free-text queries.
Enabling Search Fields
Add SearchFilter and list the columns to scan in search_fields. Clients then pass a search term with the search query param.
from rest_framework.filters import SearchFilter
class BookViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
filter_backends = [SearchFilter]
search_fields = ['title', 'author__name']Ordering Results
Add OrderingFilter so clients can sort with ordering=title or ordering=-price for descending order, all from the URL.
Quick Check
Make sure you can tell these tools apart.
Recap: Usable API Responses
You can now slice lists with pagination, narrow them with filters, find text with search, and sort with ordering. Your API stays fast and friendly. 🎉
Frequently asked questions
Is the “Filtering, Search, and Pagination” lesson free?
Yes — the full text of “Filtering, Search, and Pagination” is free to read here on the web, and the Django Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Django Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.
What will I learn in “Filtering, Search, and Pagination”?
Make large API responses usable. You practise Django Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.
Do I need any experience to start Django Academy?
No prior experience is required. Django Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 4 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.
How long does the “Filtering, Search, and Pagination” lesson take?
Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.
Can I write and run code in this Django Academy lesson?
Yes. Every Django Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.
All lessons in this course
- ModelViewSet and Routers
- Permissions and Throttling
- Token and JWT Authentication
- Filtering, Search, and Pagination