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I am not sure if this is still an open question but it is sure an interesting one.
I would strongly suggest on using the django-tastypie and you could start by using the docs which are indeed a great point of reference.
My experience until now has shown that I should always start by making my api clear(and rest) than choosing an easier faster solution(e.g. ajax) because if your app is a successful one, frameworks like tastypie help you scale.
The authentication process is pretty straightforward if you choose the basic one.
You just ask for the user credentials and there are many clients implementing the client side basic auth.
Fortunately, tastypie supports more than this. For example, the api authentication and you could read more here.
If you need anything else, please let me know.
Regards,
Michael.