Little Lemon API Reference

About This Document

Summary: A technical reference for the Little Lemon restaurant backend API, detailing Token-based authentication and RESTful resource management (Menu & Bookings).
Intended Audience: Developers and integrators seeking to interact with the backend services programmatically.
Written Context: A portfolio sample derived from a Django REST Framework project.

1. Overview

The Little Lemon API provides backend services for menu management and table reservations. It is built using Django REST Framework.

Base URL: https://api.littlelemon.com/restaurant

2. Authentication

The API uses Token-based Authentication.

2.1. Obtain a Token

To access protected endpoints (such as Bookings), you must first obtain an API Token by providing valid user credentials.

Endpoint:
POST /api-token-auth/

Request Body:

{
"username": "admin",
"password": "password123"
}

Response (200 OK):

{
"token": "9a8b7c6d5e4f3a2b1c..."
}

2.2. Use the Token

Include the token in the Authorization header of subsequent requests to protected endpoints.

Header Format:

Authorization: Token 9a8b7c6d5e4f3a2b1c...

3. Resources

3.1. Menu Items

Manage the restaurant’s food and beverage inventory.

Public Access: No authentication required for viewing.
Write Access: Standard create/update operations supported.

3.1.1. List / Create Items

Retrieve all items or create a new one.

Endpoint:
GET /menu/
POST /menu/

Note: To create a new menu item (POST), input price as a number (float/integer). The API returns price as a string to preserve decimal precision.

Request Body (POST):

{
  "title": "happy lemon",
  "price": 5.00,
  "inventory": 15
}

Response (201 Created):

{
  "id": 1,
  "title": "happy lemon",
  "price": "5.00",
  "inventory": 15
}

3.1.2. Single Item Operations

Retrieve, update, or delete a specific menu item by its ID.

Endpoint:
GET /menu/{id}
PUT /menu/{id}
DELETE /menu/{id}

Parameters:
id (integer, required).

3.2. Bookings

Manage table reservations.

IMPORTANT: This is a Protected Endpoint requiring a valid API Token in the header.

3.2.1. API Root

Provides navigation links to booking resources.

Endpoint:
GET /booking/

Response:

{
    "tables": "https://api.littlelemon.com/restaurant/booking/tables/"
}

3.2.2. List / Create Bookings

Retrieve all reservations or book a new table.

Endpoint:
GET /booking/tables/
POST /booking/tables/

Note: Use ISO 8601 Format for booking_date (YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ).

Request Body (POST):

{
  "name": "Mr. Lemon",
  "no_of_guests": 5,
  "booking_date": "2026-02-14T19:00:00"
}

Response (201 Created):

{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "Mr. Lemon",
  "no_of_guests": 5,
  "booking_date": "2026-02-14T19:00:00Z"
}

3.2.3. Single Booking Operations

Update or cancel a specific reservation.

Endpoint:
GET /booking/tables/{id}/
PUT /booking/tables/{id}/
DELETE /booking/tables/{id}/

4. Data Schema

4.1. Menu Model

Field Type Description

Field	Type	Description
`id`	Integer	Primary Key (Auto-generated)
`title`	String	Name of the dish (Max 255 chars)
`price`	Decimal	Input: Number `5.00` Output: String `"5.00"`
`inventory`	Integer	Quantity available

id

Integer

Primary Key (Auto-generated)

title

String

Name of the dish (Max 255 chars)

price

Decimal

Input: Number 5.00
Output: String "5.00"

inventory

Integer

Quantity available

4.2. Booking Model

Field Type Description

Field	Type	Description
`id`	Integer	Primary Key (Auto-generated)
`name`	String	Name of the guest
`no_of_guests`	Integer	Number of people
`booking_date`	DateTime	ISO 8601 Format (YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss)

id

Integer

Primary Key (Auto-generated)

name

String

Name of the guest

no_of_guests

Integer

Number of people

booking_date

DateTime

ISO 8601 Format (YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss)