* It takes each **request** that comes to your application.
* It can then do something to that **request** or run any needed code.
* Then it passes the **request** to be processed by the rest of the application (by some *path operation*).
* It then takes the **response** generated by the application (by some *path operation*).
* It can do something to that **response** or run any needed code.
* Then it returns the **response**.

!!! note "Technical Details"

The `root_path` is used to handle these specific cases.

And it's also used internally when mounting sub-applications.

## Proxy with a stripped path prefix

Having a proxy with a stripped path prefix, in this case, means that you could declare a path at `/app` in your code, but then, you add a layer on top (the proxy) that would put your **FastAPI** application under a path like `/api/v1`.

<img src="/img/tutorial/generate-clients/image01.png">

You can see those schemas because they were declared with the models in the app.

That information is available in the app's **OpenAPI schema**, and then shown in the API docs (by Swagger UI).

And that same information from the models that is included in OpenAPI is what can be used to **generate the client code**.

### Generate a TypeScript Client

# `Request` class

You can declare a parameter in a *path operation function* or dependency to be of type `Request` and then you can access the raw request object directly, without any validation, etc.

You can import it directly from `fastapi`:

```python
from fastapi import Request
```

!!! tip

And if you update that local FastAPI source code when you run that Python file again, it will use the fresh version of FastAPI you just edited.

That way, you don't have to "install" your local version to be able to test every change.

!!! note "Technical Details"
    This only happens when you install using this included `requirements.txt` instead of running `pip install fastapi` directly.

After you have tests, then you can upgrade the **FastAPI** version to a more recent one, and make sure that all your code is working correctly by running your tests.

If everything is working, or after you make the necessary changes, and all your tests are passing, then you can pin your `fastapi` to that new recent version.

## About Starlette

But documentation is still missing. Then APISpec was created.

It is a plug-in for many frameworks (and there's a plug-in for Starlette too).

The way it works is that you write the definition of the schema using YAML format inside the docstring of each function handling a route.

And it generates OpenAPI schemas.

That's how it works in Flask, Starlette, Responder, etc.

# Background Tasks - `BackgroundTasks`

You can declare a parameter in a *path operation function* or dependency function with the type `BackgroundTasks`, and then you can use it to schedule the execution of background tasks after the response is sent.

You can import it directly from `fastapi`:

```python
from fastapi import BackgroundTasks
```

### Extended testing file

You could then update `test_main.py` with the extended tests:

```Python
{!> ../../../docs_src/app_testing/app_b/test_main.py!}
```

Whenever you need the client to pass information in the request and you don't know how to, you can search (Google) how to do it in `httpx`, or even how to do it with `requests`, as HTTPX's design is based on Requests' design.

Then you just do the same in your tests.

# Advanced Middleware

In the main tutorial you read how to add [Custom Middleware](../tutorial/middleware.md){.internal-link target=_blank} to your application.

And then you also read how to handle [CORS with the `CORSMiddleware`](../tutorial/cors.md){.internal-link target=_blank}.

In this section we'll see how to use other middlewares.

## Adding ASGI middlewares