Is FastAPI the Better Choice over Django for Your Next Python Project?

Choosing the right framework is critical in backend development. If you're working with Python and looking to build modern, high-performance APIs, FastAPI is gaining strong traction — but how does it stack up against the veteran Django? This article introduces FastAPI, shows a simple example, and then compares it to Django in terms of speed, architecture, and ideal use cases.

What Is FastAPI?

FastAPI is a modern Python web framework designed specifically for building APIs with high performance in mind. It leverages Python 3.7+ features such as type hints to provide built-in data validation, serialization, and auto-generated documentation. Built on top of Starlette and Pydantic, FastAPI emphasizes speed, developer productivity, and clean code.

Key Highlights

• Asynchronous and synchronous request handling (async/await)
• Automatic generation of OpenAPI and JSON Schema
• Uses Pydantic for data parsing and validation
• Interactive API docs via Swagger and ReDoc
• Fast execution – comparable to Go and NodeJS

FastAPI Example

Here’s a simple FastAPI application:

PythonCopy code

To run this, save it as main.py and execute:

BashCopy code

This spins up a development server with live reload. Visit:

• http://localhost:8000/docs for Swagger UI
• http://localhost:8000/redoc for ReDoc

FastAPI vs Django: Feature-by-Feature

Use Case Comparison

Choose FastAPI if:

• You’re building a high-performance API (e.g., ML model service, async data pipeline).
• You need WebSockets or background tasks.
• Your team values type safety, auto docs, and speed.
• You’re building microservices or an API gateway.

Choose Django if:

• You’re building a monolithic web app with front-end and back-end.
• You need a built-in admin interface for non-technical users.
• You want a complete solution with ORM, migrations, templating, etc.
• You prefer convention over configuration.