How To Create Your Very First API With FastAPI In Python Tutorial 2023
TLDRIn this tutorial, the presenter guides viewers through the process of creating their first API using FastAPI in Python. The video begins with the installation of FastAPI via pip, followed by the creation of an app and the main endpoint that returns a JSON response with an example message and data. The presenter then demonstrates how to use uvicorn to run the API and automatically reload it upon changes. The tutorial also covers generating random numbers with a specified limit, and how to create endpoints with parameters. The video concludes with a mention of FastAPI's automatic API documentation generation and invites viewers to explore further with FastAPI for more complex projects.
Takeaways
- Install FastAPI by running pip install fastapi in your terminal.
- Import FastAPI and random for generating random numbers.
- Create the main application instance using FastAPI().
- Define your first endpoint with @app.get('/') and an asynchronous function to return JSON or a dictionary.
- Use uvicorn to run the FastAPI application with automatic reloads using the --reload flag.
- The requests module can be used to test the API by sending HTTP GET requests.
- The --reload flag allows for automatic updates when changes are made to the script.
- Create additional endpoints to return random numbers with optional user-defined limits.
- FastAPI automatically generates API documentation accessible via the /docs endpoint.
- Be mindful of endpoint paths; the first matching path found will be used.
- FastAPI is versatile and can be extended for various applications, including machine learning or interacting with other APIs.
Q & A
What is FastAPI and how does it help in creating APIs?
-FastAPI is a modern, fast (high-performance), web framework for building APIs with Python 3.7+ based on standard Python type hints. It is used to create APIs quickly and conveniently, making it easy to build robust and scalable APIs with less code.
How do you install FastAPI in a Python project?
-To install FastAPI, you open the terminal in your Python project directory and type `pip install fastapi`, ensuring to use quotation marks around the package name.
What is the first step to create an API using FastAPI?
-The first step is to import FastAPI and create an application instance by calling `fastapi.FastAPI()`.
How do you define an endpoint in FastAPI?
-You define an endpoint by using the `@app.get(path)` decorator, where `path` is the URL path for the endpoint, followed by an asynchronous function that handles the request.
How does FastAPI handle the conversion of Python dictionaries to JSON?
-FastAPI automatically takes care of converting Python dictionaries to JSON format, so you don't have to manually serialize the data.
What is the purpose of the 'reload' flag when running a FastAPI application?
-The 'reload' flag allows the server to automatically reload the application when changes are made to the code, which is useful during development for immediate feedback without restarting the server manually.
How can you test the API locally?
-You can test the API locally by navigating to the provided local server address in a web browser or by using tools like `curl` or the `requests` module in Python to make HTTP requests to the API endpoints.
What is UVicorn and how does it relate to FastAPI?
-UVicorn is an ASGI server implementation that is used to serve FastAPI applications. It provides features like automatic reloading when the code changes, which is particularly useful during development.
How can you generate a random number endpoint in FastAPI?
-You can create a random number endpoint by defining a function that generates a random number using the `random.randint` function and then returning that number within a JSON response using the `@app.get(path)` decorator.
How does FastAPI handle user input for endpoints?
-FastAPI can handle user input by defining path parameters within the endpoint path using curly braces `{}`. You can then access these parameters within your endpoint function to customize the response based on user input.
What documentation does FastAPI automatically generate for the created APIs?
-FastAPI automatically generates interactive API documentation that can be accessed through the `/docs` endpoint. This documentation includes information about endpoints, available parameters, and the expected responses.
How can you stop the UVicorn server when it is running?
-You can stop the UVicorn server by pressing `Ctrl + C` in the terminal where the server is running.
Outlines
🚀 Introduction to FastAPI
The video begins with an introduction to FastAPI, a high-performance, easy-to-use web framework for building APIs. The presenter explains the process of installing FastAPI using pip within a Python project and importing it along with the random module to generate random numbers. The audience is guided through creating the main entry point of the API by instantiating a FastAPI application and setting up the root endpoint, which returns a JSON response. The video also demonstrates using uvicorn to run the API and automatically reload it upon changes, showcasing the API's live functionality and how to interact with it using a sample script and the requests module.
🔄 Dynamic API Endpoints with Reload Feature
The second paragraph dives into the convenience of FastAPI's automatic reloading feature. This feature allows developers to see changes in the API without having to restart the server manually. The presenter adds a new endpoint to the API that returns a random integer within a specified range, defaulting to 0 to 100. The audience learns how to customize the limit by adding a parameter to the endpoint and how to handle multiple paths with the same name. The video also highlights the auto-generated documentation feature of FastAPI, which can be accessed through the '/docs' endpoint, and teases a potential follow-up video on more advanced topics.
📚 Wrapping Up and Future Content
In the final paragraph, the presenter wraps up the tutorial by summarizing the key points covered in the video, which include creating a basic API using FastAPI, generating random numbers, and allowing users to specify their own limits. The presenter encourages the audience to experiment with the API, possibly by creating chatbots or integrating machine learning models. They also mention the usefulness of the requests module for testing and interacting with the API locally. The video concludes with an invitation for feedback on whether viewers would like to see a more in-depth video on creating documentation or advanced projects with FastAPI.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡FastAPI
💡API
💡PIP install
💡Asynchronous function
💡JSON
💡uvicorn
💡Endpoints
💡Random numbers
💡Requests module
💡Documentation
💡Machine Learning
Highlights
This tutorial demonstrates how to create an API in Python using FastAPI, which is a quick and convenient way to build APIs.
To start, install FastAPI via pip in your Python project's terminal.
Import FastAPI and random modules to create the app and generate random numbers for the API.
Create the main entry point for the API by instantiating the FastAPI application.
Define the root endpoint using the `@app.get("/")` decorator and an asynchronous function to return JSON responses.
The API automatically converts Python dictionaries to JSON format, simplifying the response process.
Use uvicorn to run the FastAPI application with automatic reloading for code changes.
The `reload` flag in uvicorn allows the server to automatically update when the script is edited.
Test the API by making requests to the local server and printing the JSON response.
Create additional endpoints by using the `@app.get` decorator with different paths.
Generate random numbers within a specified range using the `random.randint` function.
Allow users to specify their own limit for the random number range by adding a path parameter.
FastAPI automatically generates documentation for the API, accessible via the `/docs` endpoint.
The tutorial covers creating a basic random number generator API that can be expanded for more complex applications.
Explore further by integrating machine learning models or interacting with other APIs to enrich the API's functionality.
Use the `requests` module to interact with the API for testing and playing around with data.
The tutorial concludes with a discussion on the benefits of FastAPI for rapid API development and the potential for future tutorials.