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Build with a FastAPI starter template

Browse FastAPI starter templates for Vercel and deploy one in a few steps. Compare minimal, AI, agent, and full-stack FastAPI templates on the Python runtime.

3 min read
Last updated June 15, 2026

FastAPI is a high-performance Python web framework for building APIs, and it deploys to Vercel with zero configuration. On Vercel, your FastAPI app becomes a Vercel Function running on Fluid compute, with response streaming and preview deployments available with minimal configuration.

Vercel maintains a FastAPI template directory with starters from both Vercel and the community, so you can begin from a working project instead of a blank repo.

These templates range from a minimal API to AI, agent, and full-stack apps:

TemplateWhat it gives you
FastAPI BoilerplateA minimal FastAPI app that runs on Vercel's Python runtime and deploys with zero configuration. Start here if you're new to FastAPI on Vercel.
AI SDK Python StreamingA FastAPI function that streams chat completions to a Next.js frontend with the AI SDK useChat hook.
Next.js FastAPI StarterAn AI chatbot with a Next.js frontend and a FastAPI backend in a single project.
OpenAI Agents SDK with FastAPIA FastAPI app that runs the OpenAI Agents SDK with Vercel Sandbox, creating an isolated microVM per request to give the agent shell access.
Full-stack FastAPI with Next.jsA full-stack starter that pairs a FastAPI backend with a Next.js frontend, with HttpOnly cookie auth and a Postgres database.

If you're not sure where to begin, deploy the FastAPI Boilerplate and add routes, middleware, or a frontend as your project grows.

Most FastAPI templates deploy to Vercel the same way. Open the template you want, select Deploy, and Vercel clones the repository into your Git provider, creates a project, and ships it to a live URL.

  1. Open the template: Choose a template from the table above, then select Deploy.
  2. Connect your Git provider: Vercel creates a new repository for the template in your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket account.
  3. Deploy the project: Vercel builds and deploys the template, then returns a production URL. Each later push to the repository triggers a new deployment.

The full-stack FastAPI with Next.js template is the exception. It provisions two projects, one for the frontend and one for the backend, along with a Postgres database, so you'll set a few environment variables during setup. Follow its template page for the exact steps.

After deploying, clone your new repository, set up a virtual environment, install dependencies, and start the development server with Vercel CLI:

Terminal
git clone your_repository_url_here
cd your_project_name_here
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
vercel dev

Vercel CLI serves your app at http://localhost:3000 and runs it the same way it does in production. Edit your route handlers to make it your own.

Templates that include a Next.js frontend, such as Next.js FastAPI Starter or the full-stack template, also require their Node dependencies to be installed. Run npm install (or the package manager the template uses) before vercel dev.

To scaffold the FastAPI example with Vercel CLI, run:

Terminal
vercel init fastapi

This clones the FastAPI boilerplate into a fastapi directory, so you can develop locally first and deploy with vercel when you're ready.

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