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MySQL: The world's most popular open source database
FastAPI
A modern, fast, high-performance web framework for building APIs with Python
As of 29 August 2026, FastAPI is free to use. FastAPI is an open source Python API framework licensed under MIT, built on Starlette and Pydantic with automatic interactive documentation. Softwr lists it under Web Development.
Overview
What FastAPI does
FastAPI is an open source Python API framework licensed under MIT, built on Starlette and Pydantic with automatic interactive documentation.
What people use it for
- Building production-ready REST APIs with automatic validation
- Serving machine learning model predictions as REST services
- Building crisis management and orchestration platforms
- Enabling real-time APIs with WebSocket connections
- Rapid API development reducing boilerplate code significantly
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about FastAPI.
- No built-in ORM, requires separate database libraries
- Python-only, cannot build with other languages
- Async/await learning curve for developers new to async programming
- Production deployment requires separate ASGI server configuration
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of FastAPI
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- FastAPIvsDjango
Django: The web framework for perfectionists with deadlines
- FastAPIvsNext.js
Next.js: The React framework for the web
- FastAPIvsFlask
Flask: A lightweight WSGI web application framework
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Is FastAPI free to use?
Yes. FastAPI is free and open-source under the MIT License. It costs nothing to download, use, or deploy in production. An optional paid service, FastAPI Cloud, offers one-command deployment for additional convenience, but the core framework is free.
SourceCan I use FastAPI for commercial applications?
Yes. FastAPI's MIT License permits unrestricted commercial use, modification, and distribution. You can build and sell products powered by FastAPI without licensing fees or restrictions.
SourceDoes FastAPI include a database or ORM?
No. FastAPI does not include a built-in database or ORM. You must add separate libraries like SQLAlchemy for database access. This gives flexibility to choose the database solution best suited to your project.
SourceWhat Python versions does FastAPI support?
FastAPI supports Python 3.7 and later. Older Python versions are not compatible, so you must run at least Python 3.7 to use FastAPI.
SourceKeep looking
Where to go from FastAPI
- FastAPI alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- FastAPI pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- FastAPI badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Web Development softwareThe full category
- Best Web Development softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Web Development software for
Compare FastAPI with
- Django
- Flask
- Next.js
- MySQL
- Remix
- HTMX
- Ruby on Rails
- Nginx
- Astro
- Lit
- NestJS
- Sass
- .NET
- Drupal
- Express.js
- Nuxt
- Lit
- NestJS
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for FastAPI, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on FastAPI
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