Install fastapi with Homebrew, apt

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• fastapi

Project history

FastAPI was created after its author spent years building APIs with earlier Python frameworks and libraries, including Flask, Django REST Framework, Marshmallow, Webargs, APISpec, Starlette, and Pydantic. The official history says the project combined ideas from these tools with Python 3.6+ type hints, OpenAPI, JSON Schema, OAuth2, and editor-aware design.

The framework's core design paired Starlette for ASGI web behavior with Pydantic for data validation and serialization. That combination made request parsing, response models, dependency injection, and generated documentation feel like ordinary typed Python code instead of separate schema files.

FastAPI's early public release cycle accelerated in 2019, with release notes showing frequent additions for WebSockets, background tasks, security utilities, testing, SQL/database examples, file uploads, OpenAPI customization, and documentation. By 2023, version 0.100.0 added Pydantic v2 support while maintaining a migration path from Pydantic v1.

The `fastapi` command arrived later as a CLI for serving and managing FastAPI apps. Official CLI documentation describes `fastapi dev` for development, `fastapi run` for production-style serving, automatic app discovery, and optional entrypoint configuration in `pyproject.toml`.

Adoption history

FastAPI gained adoption because it solved a package-manager-era problem: teams wanted Python APIs with automatic OpenAPI docs, runtime validation, async support, and editor assistance without stitching together many plugins. The official README foregrounds production use, high performance, and compatibility with OpenAPI and JSON Schema.

The project's own README highlights adoption stories from large organizations and open-source projects, including Microsoft use for machine-learning services, Uber's Ludwig project, Netflix Dispatch, and Cisco API-first tooling. Those examples are presented by the project as evidence that FastAPI moved beyond hobby usage into production service infrastructure.

Packaging broadened beyond PyPI. The Homebrew formula exposes the CLI to macOS and Linux users, while Debian and Ubuntu package the Python library as `python3-fastapi`, making FastAPI visible in both Python-specific and system package ecosystems.

How it is used

A common FastAPI workflow starts with a typed `FastAPI()` app in `main.py`, path operation decorators such as `@app.get`, and type-annotated parameters or Pydantic models. Running `fastapi dev` starts a local development server and exposes generated API docs at `/docs`.

In production, users typically run ASGI servers such as Uvicorn, often behind a reverse proxy or container platform. The FastAPI CLI wraps common Uvicorn usage and can discover an app object automatically, while allowing explicit entrypoint configuration when projects grow beyond a single `main.py`.

FastAPI is especially common for JSON APIs, machine-learning inference services, internal platform APIs, and microservices where validation and generated client-facing documentation matter as much as raw request handling.

Why package nerds care

FastAPI matters to package nerds because it sits at the intersection of Python packaging, ASGI servers, type-checking culture, generated OpenAPI schemas, and CLI ergonomics. Installing it is not just installing a library; it pulls together a modern Python API stack around Starlette, Pydantic, Uvicorn, and Typer-style command-line UX.

The 2024 split around `fastapi[standard]` and standard optional dependencies is packaging-significant. It made the dependency surface more explicit, avoiding forcing all standard runtime extras on every base install while still preserving a simple recommended install path for application developers.

Timeline

• 2018: The public GitHub repository was created.
• 2019: Early release notes show rapid additions across WebSockets, background tasks, security, OpenAPI, and testing.
• 2023: Version 0.100.0 added support for Pydantic v2.
• 2024: The FastAPI CLI was added as the new `fastapi` command.
• 2025: Release notes describe FastAPI Cloud deployment integration through the CLI.
• 2026: The official README advertises FastAPI Conf 2026, reflecting a mature project community.

Related projects

• Starlette provides FastAPI's underlying ASGI web toolkit.
• Pydantic provides the validation and model layer that shaped FastAPI's typed API design.
• Uvicorn is the ASGI server used by the FastAPI CLI.
• Typer is described by the project as FastAPI's CLI-oriented sibling.

Sources

• https://github.com/fastapi/fastapi
• https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/history-design-future/
• https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/alternatives/
• https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/release-notes/
• https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/fastapi-cli/