SQLModel will know that something declared as `str` will be a SQL column of type `TEXT` (or `VARCHAR`, depending on the database).

### Create an Engine { #create-an-engine }

A SQLModel `engine` (underneath it's actually a SQLAlchemy `engine`) is what **holds the connections** to the database.

///

An environment variable (also known as "**env var**") is a variable that lives **outside** of the Python code, in the **operating system**, and could be read by your Python code (or by other programs as well).

Environment variables could be useful for handling application **settings**, as part of the **installation** of Python, etc.

## Create and Use Env Vars { #create-and-use-env-vars }

This was designed this way mainly to allow using the same objects "yielded" by dependencies inside of background tasks, because the exit code would be executed after the background tasks were finished.

Now, let's see how you could use that to return a custom response.

Let's say that you want to return an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML" class="external-link" target="_blank">XML</a> response.

```Python hl_lines="1  4"
{!> ../../docs_src/python_types/tutorial008b.py!}
```

////

In both cases this means that `item` could be an `int` or a `str`.

#### Possibly `None` { #possibly-none }

You can declare that a value could have a type, like `str`, but that it could also be `None`.

In Python 3.6 and above (including Python 3.10) you can declare it by importing and using `Optional` from the `typing` module.

Nevertheless, it is already being used as a "standard" by several tools. This greatly improves interoperability, as you could switch Uvicorn for any other ASGI server (like Daphne or Hypercorn), or you could add ASGI compatible tools, like `python-socketio`.

///

/// check | **FastAPI** uses it to

Handle all the core web parts. Adding features on top.

# Behind a Proxy { #behind-a-proxy }

In many situations, you would use a **proxy** like Traefik or Nginx in front of your FastAPI app.

These proxies could handle HTTPS certificates and other things.

## Proxy Forwarded Headers { #proxy-forwarded-headers }

# OpenAPI Callbacks { #openapi-callbacks }

You could create an API with a *path operation* that could trigger a request to an *external API* created by someone else (probably the same developer that would be *using* your API).

If you use a `requirements.txt` file you could specify the version with:

```txt
fastapi[standard]==0.112.0
```

that would mean that you would use exactly the version `0.112.0`.

Or you could also pin it with:

```txt
fastapi[standard]>=0.112.0,<0.113.0
```

Here's an example of how an HTTPS API could look like, step by step, paying attention mainly to the ideas important for developers.

### Domain Name { #domain-name }

It would probably all start by you **acquiring** some **domain name**. Then, you would configure it in a DNS server (possibly your same cloud provider).