FastAPI
Fast to code, fast to run.
FastAPI is a modern, fast (high-performance), web framework for building APIs with Python 3.7+ based on standard Python type hints. The key features are speed, ease of use, and automatic documentation.
It is built on top of Starlette for the web parts and Pydantic for the data parts. This combination gives you the performance of an asynchronous framework with the developer experience of a framework that uses type hints.
- Language: Python
- Architecture: Asynchronous (ASGI)
- Core Philosophy: Performance and Developer Experience
Key Features
Why developers choose FastAPI.
High Performance
FastAPI is one of the fastest Python frameworks available. It is built on top of Starlette and Uvicorn, which are asynchronous libraries, allowing for high performance and concurrency.
Automatic Interactive API Docs
FastAPI automatically generates interactive API documentation (using Swagger UI and ReDoc) from your code. This makes it easy to test and interact with your API without writing any extra code.
Type Hints and Data Validation
FastAPI uses Python type hints for data validation, serialization, and documentation. This means you get editor support, type checking, and autocompletion, which leads to fewer bugs and faster development.
Dependency Injection
FastAPI has a powerful and easy-to-use dependency injection system. This makes it easy to manage dependencies, share code, and test your application.
Asynchronous Support
FastAPI is built for asynchronous programming, which allows you to write high-performance, concurrent code. You can use `async` and `await` to handle long-running tasks without blocking the main thread.
Great Developer Experience
FastAPI is designed to be easy to use and intuitive. It has great editor support, and the automatic documentation makes it easy to understand and work with your API.
Implementation & Strategy
Costs, timelines, and strategic considerations for adopting FastAPI.
Estimated Project Costs
FastAPI projects are often very affordable, due to the framework's high performance and developer-friendly features. A simple FastAPI project might cost between $1,000 and $10,000, while a mid-sized project could range from $10,000 to $50,000. Large, complex projects can still exceed $50,000, but are less common.
Implementation Strategy
A typical FastAPI project starts with a single Python file and grows from there. As the project grows, it can be organized into a package with multiple modules. FastAPI's use of Python type hints and Pydantic make it easy to build robust and well-documented APIs. It is an excellent choice for building microservices, and it is also a great choice for building the backend for a single-page application.
Comparisons
How FastAPI stacks up against other Python frameworks.