Week 01 - Basic FastAPI Application Example

This repository contains a minimal FastAPI application designed to help you set up and verify your Python development environment for the unit. It serves as a simple "hello world" to ensure Python, pip, venv, FastAPI, and Uvicorn are installed and working correctly.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Python

• pip (Python package installer, usually comes with Python)

• venv (Python module for creating virtual environments, usually comes with Python)

Setup and Run Instructions

Follow these steps to get the basic FastAPI application running on your local machine:

1. Clone the Repository: If you haven't already, clone the unit's example code repository to your local machine:

git clone <URL_TO_YOUR_UNIT_GITHUB_REPOSITORY>

2. Then navigate into the week01 directory:

cd week01

3. Create and Activate a Python Virtual Environment:

It's best practice to use a virtual environment to manage project dependencies.

# Create the virtual environment
python -m venv .venv

# Activate the virtual environment
# On macOS/Linux:
source ./.venv/bin/activate
# On Windows (Command Prompt):
# .\.venv\Scripts\activate.bat
# On Windows (PowerShell):
# .\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

You should see (.venv) prefixing your terminal prompt, indicating the virtual environment is active.

4. Install Dependencies:

With your virtual environment activated, install the required Python packages:

pip install -r requirements.txt

5. Update Your Information in main.py

Open the main.py file in your VS Code editor. Locate the get_student_info endpoint and update the placeholder information (<YOUR_NAME>, <YOUR_STUDENT_ID>, <YOUR_CAMPUS>) with your actual details. Save the file after making these changes.

6. Run the FastAPI Application:

Once dependencies are installed, you can start the FastAPI application using Uvicorn:

uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

• main:app: Specifies that Uvicorn should look for an app object (your FastAPI instance) within the app.py file.

• --reload: Enables auto-reloading of the server on code changes (useful for development).

• --host 0.0.0.0: Makes the application accessible from outside localhost (e.g., from other devices on your local network, or from Docker containers if you later integrate).

• --port 8000: Specifies the port the application will listen on.

7. Access the Application in Your Browser:

Open your web browser and navigate to the following URLs:

• Root Endpoint: http://localhost:8000/

• Student Info Endpoint: http://localhost:8000/student_info

Congratulations! Your basic FastAPI development environment is set up and working.