### <a href="https://www.django-rest-framework.org/" class="external-link" target="_blank">Django REST Framework</a> { #django-rest-framework }

Django REST framework was created to be a flexible toolkit for building Web APIs using Django underneath, to improve its API capabilities.

It is used by many companies including Mozilla, Red Hat and Eventbrite.

Many packages that simplify it a lot have to make many compromises with the data model, database, and available features. And some of these packages that simplify things too much actually have security flaws underneath.

---

**FastAPI** doesn't make any compromise with any database, data model or tool.

It gives you all the flexibility to choose the ones that fit your project the best.

```Python
with open("./somefile.txt") as f:
    contents = f.read()
    print(contents)
```

Underneath, the `open("./somefile.txt")` creates an object that is called a "Context Manager".

When the `with` block finishes, it makes sure to close the file, even if there were exceptions.

If you are using a Python version below 3.10, here's a tip from my very **subjective** point of view:

* 🚨 Avoid using `Optional[SomeType]`
* Instead ✨ **use `Union[SomeType, None]`** ✨.

Both are equivalent and underneath they are the same, but I would recommend `Union` instead of `Optional` because the word "**optional**" would seem to imply that the value is optional, and it actually means "it can be `None`", even if it's not optional and is still required.

## Very Technical Details { #very-technical-details }

/// warning

You can probably skip this.

These are very technical details of how **FastAPI** works underneath.

If you have quite some technical knowledge (coroutines, threads, blocking, etc.) and are curious about how FastAPI handles `async def` vs normal `def`, go ahead.

///

    So, it's important to put this **near the end** of the `Dockerfile`, to optimize the container image build times.

6. Set the **command** to use `fastapi run`, which uses Uvicorn underneath.

    `CMD` takes a list of strings, each of these strings is what you would type in the command line separated by spaces.

                    /* This is a key point. This is where we set the "tree" of this file which
                     * is like changing the rug out from underneath our feet.
                     */

would go, and broke off a bit of the edge with each hand.

  `And now which is which?' she said to herself, and nibbled a
little of the right-hand bit to try the effect:  the next moment
she felt a violent blow underneath her chin:  it had struck her
foot!

  She was a good deal frightened by this very sudden change, but
she felt that there was no time to be lost, as she was shrinking