I’m working on a Django REST framework project and need to set up an alert system. The goal is to get notifications whenever someone creates new records in the database. I handle all administrative tasks through the Django REST API interface.
I’ve been looking into different approaches but I’m not sure what’s the best way to implement this. Should I use Django signals or is there a better method? I want to make sure I receive real-time alerts when new data gets added to any of my models.
Has anyone implemented something similar before? What would be the most efficient way to handle this kind of notification system in Django REST framework?
I’ve done something similar with Django signals and Celery. Post_save signals are perfect for catching database changes, but don’t do heavy processing directly in the signal handler - it’ll kill your performance. Instead, use the signal to queue a lightweight task that handles the notification stuff in the background. Your API stays fast and you still get real-time alerts. For delivery, I just used Django’s email backend for basic alerts, but you could hook up Slack or push notifications too. Keep the signal handler minimal and let background tasks do the heavy work.
I built a notification system with Django’s post_save signal and Redis for real-time updates. Works great, but watch out for signal recursion - if your notification handler updates the database, it’ll trigger another signal and create an infinite loop. I use the created parameter in post_save to only fire on new records, not updates. For notifications, I connect to a WebSocket endpoint that pushes alerts straight to the admin interface. Redis handles messaging between the Django signal and WebSocket connection. Performance stays solid even with heavy database activity since the signal handler just publishes to Redis without blocking.
totally agree! signals like post_save are super useful. they let you catch new records right away - been a game changer for me. just make sure they’re hooked up to your models right, and you’ll be all set!