# FastAPI

> FastAPI (0.162.0, Oct 2026, ~104k stars) is a Python framework for building web APIs. You declare endpoints with standard Python type hints, and it validates requests, serialises responses and generates interactive OpenAPI docs automatically. Install with uv add "fastapi\[standard\]" or pip, then run fastapi dev; Python 3.10+ on Windows, macOS or Linux. MIT, no API keys or paid plans needed. FastAPI Cloud, from the same team, is optional hosting with a free Hobby plan and a paid Pro plan. It is a framework, not a finished app: you write the code and choose the database and server setup.

- Repository: https://github.com/fastapi/fastapi
- Official docs: https://github.com/fastapi/fastapi#readme
- Checked: 2026-10-26

## What it replaces
Nothing people pay for: a free tool, listed because people search for it.

## Facts, with sources

| Question | Status | Answer | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on my machine? | Confirmed | Yes, a Python library you run on your own machine or servers; optional hosted deploys on FastAPI Cloud or any cloud provider | https://github.com/fastapi/fastapi#deploy-your-app-optional | 2026-10-26 |
| Code licence | Confirmed | MIT | https://github.com/fastapi/fastapi#license | 2026-10-23 |
| Model weights licence | Confirmed | No model weights; a Python web framework | https://github.com/fastapi/fastapi#readme | 2026-10-26 |
| Commercial use | Confirmed | Yes, MIT | https://github.com/fastapi/fastapi#license | 2026-10-26 |
| Paid services needed? | Partial | None required; FastAPI Cloud, from the same team, is optional hosting with a free Hobby plan and a paid Pro plan | https://fastapicloud.com/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Hardware | Partial | Pure Python, no GPU; no CPU or RAM minimum documented; the deployment docs suggest several worker processes to use multiple CPU cores | https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/deployment/server-workers/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Operating systems | Confirmed | Windows, macOS and Linux; the package is marked OS Independent (Python 3.10+) and CI tests on Ubuntu, Windows and macOS | https://github.com/fastapi/fastapi/blob/master/pyproject.toml | 2026-10-26 |
| Setup effort | Confirmed | Easy, install uv then uv add "fastapi\[standard\]" (or pip install in a virtual environment) and run fastapi dev | https://github.com/fastapi/fastapi#installation | 2026-10-26 |

GitHub: 104358 stars, 10182 forks, last push 2026-11-02, archived: no.

## Agent skills

FastAPI publishes 1 agent skills for coding agents such as Claude Code, Cursor and Codex, about 14400 installs in total (skills.sh, checked 2026-11-03). Some may be for the project's own developers. Installs show popularity, not quality or safety.

- fastapi: about 14400 installs, security scans 3 pass. https://www.skills.sh/fastapi/fastapi/fastapi
- Install: `npx skills add fastapi/fastapi`

## Alternatives to FastAPI
- [Tauri](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/tauri.md): Framework for small desktop and mobile apps with a web front end and a Rust back end, using the system's own web view instead of bundling Chromium.
- [vLLM](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/vllm.md): Open-source engine for serving LLMs at high throughput on your own GPUs, with an OpenAI-compatible API server; Apache-2.0.
- [Ghostty](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/ghostty.md): Fast, native, GPU-accelerated terminal app for macOS and Linux, plus libghostty for building terminals into other apps; MIT.
- [Herdr](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/herdr.md): Apache-2.0 terminal workspace manager for coding agents. Runs Claude Code, Codex and others side by side and shows which one needs you.
- [FreeLLMAPI](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/freellmapi.md): Self-hosted router that pools free-tier LLM provider keys behind one OpenAI-compatible API, for developers and coding agents.
- [portable-pty](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/portable-pty.md): MIT Rust crate from WezTerm that starts shells in a pseudoterminal on Windows (ConPTY), macOS and Linux, for apps that embed a terminal.
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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/projects/fastapi). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.