As, by default, singular values are interpreted as query parameters, you don't have to explicitly add a `Query`, you can just do:

```Python
q: Union[str, None] = None
```

Or in Python 3.10 and above:

```Python
q: str | None = None
```

For example:

=== "Python 3.10+"

    ```Python hl_lines="27"

from typing import Union

from fastapi import FastAPI
from pydantic import BaseModel


class Item(BaseModel):
    name: str
    description: Union[str, None] = None
    price: float
    tax: Union[float, None] = None


app = FastAPI()


@app.put("/items/{item_id}")
async def update_item(item_id: int, item: Item, q: Union[str, None] = None):
    result = {"item_id": item_id, **item.dict()}
    if q:

from typing import Annotated, Union

from fastapi import Cookie, Depends, FastAPI

app = FastAPI()


def query_extractor(q: Union[str, None] = None):
    return q


def query_or_cookie_extractor(
    q: Annotated[str, Depends(query_extractor)],
    last_query: Annotated[Union[str, None], Cookie()] = None,
):
    if not q:
        return last_query
    return q


@app.get("/items/")
async def read_query(

from typing import Union

from fastapi import Body, FastAPI
from pydantic import BaseModel
from typing_extensions import Annotated

app = FastAPI()


class Item(BaseModel):
    name: str
    description: Union[str, None] = None
    price: float
    tax: Union[float, None] = None


@app.put("/items/{item_id}")
async def update_item(
    item_id: int,
    item: Annotated[
        Item,
        Body(

from typing import Union

from fastapi import Body, FastAPI
from pydantic import BaseModel
from typing_extensions import Annotated

app = FastAPI()


class Item(BaseModel):
    name: str
    description: Union[str, None] = None
    price: float
    tax: Union[float, None] = None


@app.put("/items/{item_id}")
async def update_item(
    *,
    item_id: int,
    item: Annotated[
        Item,
        Body(

    ```

## `Union` or `anyOf`

You can declare a response to be the `Union` of two types, that means, that the response would be any of the two.

It will be defined in OpenAPI with `anyOf`.

To do that, use the standard Python type hint <a href="https://docs.python.org/3/library/typing.html#typing.Union" class="external-link" target="_blank">`typing.Union`</a>:

!!! note

from typing import Union

from fastapi import FastAPI, Header
from typing_extensions import Annotated

app = FastAPI()


@app.get("/items/")
async def read_items(
    strange_header: Annotated[
        Union[str, None], Header(convert_underscores=False)
    ] = None,
):

from typing import Union

from fastapi import FastAPI, Query

app = FastAPI()


@app.get("/items/")
async def read_items(
    hidden_query: Union[str, None] = Query(default=None, include_in_schema=False),
):
    if hidden_query:
        return {"hidden_query": hidden_query}
    else:

from typing import Annotated, Union

from fastapi import FastAPI, Query

app = FastAPI()


@app.get("/items/")
async def read_items(
    q: Annotated[Union[str, None], Query(title="Query string", min_length=3)] = None,
):
    results = {"items": [{"item_id": "Foo"}, {"item_id": "Bar"}]}
    if q:
        results.update({"q": q})

from typing import Annotated, Union

from fastapi import FastAPI, Query

app = FastAPI()


@app.get("/items/")
async def read_items(
    q: Annotated[
        Union[str, None],
        Query(
            alias="item-query",
            title="Query string",
            description="Query string for the items to search in the database that have a good match",
            min_length=3,
            max_length=50,