`Optional[Something]` is actually a shortcut for `Union[Something, None]`, they are equivalent.

This also means that in Python 3.10, you can use `Something | None`:

//// tab | Python 3.10+

```Python hl_lines="1"
{!> ../../docs_src/python_types/tutorial009_py310.py!}
```

from typing import Annotated, Union

from fastapi import FastAPI, Query

app = FastAPI()


@app.get("/items/")
async def read_items(q: Annotated[Union[list[str], None], Query()] = None):
    query_items = {"q": q}

from typing import Union

from fastapi import Cookie, FastAPI
from typing_extensions import Annotated

app = FastAPI()


@app.get("/items/")
async def read_items(ads_id: Annotated[Union[str, None], Cookie()] = None):

from typing import Union

from fastapi import FastAPI, Query

app = FastAPI()


@app.get("/items/")
async def read_items(
    q: Union[str, None] = Query(default=None, min_length=3, max_length=50),
):
    results = {"items": [{"item_id": "Foo"}, {"item_id": "Bar"}]}
    if q:
        results.update({"q": q})

from typing import Annotated

from fastapi import FastAPI, Query

app = FastAPI()


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

        return str(obj)
    if isinstance(obj, (str, int, float, type(None))):
        return obj
    if isinstance(obj, UndefinedType):
        return None
    if isinstance(obj, dict):
        encoded_dict = {}
        allowed_keys = set(obj.keys())
        if include is not None:
            allowed_keys &= set(include)
        if exclude is not None:
            allowed_keys -= set(exclude)

/// note

FastAPI will know that the value of `q` is not required because of the default value `= None`.

The `str | None` (Python 3.10+) or `Union` in `Union[str, None]` (Python 3.8+) is not used by FastAPI to determine that the value is not required, it will know it's not required because it has a default value of `= None`.

But adding the type annotations will allow your editor to give you better support and detect errors.

///

        """
        if self.cid is not None:
            fetcher = self._create_credentials_fetcher()
            return RefreshableCredentials.create_from_metadata(
                metadata=fetcher(),
                refresh_using=fetcher,
                method=self.METHOD,
            )
        else:
            return None

    def _create_credentials_fetcher(self):
        method = self.METHOD

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(min_length=3, max_length=50, pattern="^fixedquery$")
    ] = None,
):
    results = {"items": [{"item_id": "Foo"}, {"item_id": "Bar"}]}
    if q:
        results.update({"q": q})

from typing import Union

from fastapi import FastAPI, Query
from typing_extensions import Annotated

app = FastAPI()


@app.get("/items/")
async def read_items(q: Annotated[Union[str, None], Query(alias="item-query")] = None):
    results = {"items": [{"item_id": "Foo"}, {"item_id": "Bar"}]}
    if q:
        results.update({"q": q})