---
id: django-rest-polymorphic
version: "0.1.10"
license: MIT License
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# django-rest-polymorphic — Polymorphic serializers for Django REST Framework.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 1.2M/mo

## What it is and what it does

django-rest-polymorphic bridges django-polymorphic model hierarchies with Django REST Framework's serialization system. It lets you define separate serializers for each model in an inheritance chain, then automatically routes serialization and deserialization through the correct serializer based on the model type. When you query a polymorphic model, the response includes a resource type field that identifies which subclass each object is, and POST/PUT requests use that same field to determine which serializer to apply during deserialization.

The package handles the common pattern of REST APIs that need to work with model inheritance: a base Project model with subclasses like ArtProject and ResearchProject, each with their own fields and serialization rules. Instead of flattening the hierarchy into a single serializer, django-rest-polymorphic lets you preserve the structure and handle each type appropriately.

Use it for:

- API endpoints serving inherited model hierarchies where each subclass has distinct fields and serialization requirements
- REST services that need to return mixed collections of related model types with type information for client routing
- Building polymorphic model APIs where POST/PUT requests specify the resource type to determine which serializer and model to instantiate
- Multi-tenant or plugin architectures where a base model is extended by different subclasses with type-specific logic

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides polymorphic serializers for Django REST Framework that map inherited models created with django-polymorphic to their corresponding serializers, enabling type-aware serialization of model hierarchies.

Yes, if you are using django-polymorphic and need REST API serialization. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT License, and solves a real gap in Django REST Framework's handling of model inheritance. Verify compatibility with your specific Django and Python versions before adopting.

## Install

pip install django-rest-polymorphic
uv add django-rest-polymorphic
poetry add django-rest-polymorphic

## Installing django-rest-polymorphic

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. The package is actively maintained with a recent commit in 2026, though the latest release was in 2022. Depends on django, djangorestframework, django-polymorphic, and six.

License in practice: MIT License permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, requiring only license and copyright notice retention.

Quickstart:

pip install django-rest-polymorphic

from django.db import models
from polymorphic.models import PolymorphicModel

class Project(PolymorphicModel):
    topic = models.CharField(max_length=30)

class ArtProject(Project):
    artist = models.CharField(max_length=30)

Requires django, djangorestframework, and django-polymorphic to be installed and configured; models must be defined using django-polymorphic's PolymorphicModel base class.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package supports Django versions beyond 3.0 (classifiers list only 2.2 and 3.0)
- Current compatibility with modern Python versions (classifiers list up to 3.8, but latest release was 2022)
- Whether the package remains compatible with current versions of its dependencies

## Package facts

- License: MIT License (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 1.2M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

polymorphic serializers django rest, django rest framework inheritance, polymorphic model serialization, django-polymorphic rest api, inherited model serializers, type-aware rest serialization, django rest polymorphic models, django-polymorphic, serialization, model-inheritance

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