--- title: Build with a FastAPI starter template description: 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. url: "https://vercel.com/kb/guide/build-with-a-fastapi-starter-template" published: 2026-06-15 last_updated: 2026-10-15 authors: Ben Sabic install_vercel_plugin: npx plugins add vercel/vercel-plugin --- 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](https://vercel.com/docs/functions) running on [Fluid compute](https://vercel.com/fluid), with response streaming and preview deployments available with minimal configuration. Vercel maintains a [FastAPI template directory](https://vercel.com/templates?search=fastapi) with starters from both Vercel and the community, so you can begin from a working project instead of a blank repo. ## Which FastAPI template should you use? These templates range from a minimal API to AI, agent, and full-stack apps: | Template | What it gives you | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [FastAPI Boilerplate](https://vercel.com/templates/python/fastapi-python-boilerplate) | A 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. | | [Next.js FastAPI Starter](https://vercel.com/templates/next.js/nextjs-fastapi-starter) | An AI chatbot with a [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) frontend and a FastAPI backend in a single project. | | [OpenAI Agents SDK with FastAPI](https://vercel.com/templates/other/openai-agents-sdk-with-vercel-sandbox-fastapi) | A FastAPI app that runs the OpenAI Agents SDK with [Vercel Sandbox](https://vercel.com/sandbox), creating an isolated microVM per request to give the agent shell access. | | [Full-stack FastAPI with Next.js](https://vercel.com/templates/other/full-stack-fastapi-template-with-next-js) | A 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. ## Deploy a FastAPI template 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. ### Run the template locally After deploying, clone your new repository, set up a virtual environment, install dependencies, and start the development server with [Vercel CLI](https://vercel.com/docs/cli): ```bash 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`. ### Start from the command line instead To scaffold the FastAPI example with Vercel CLI, run: ```bash 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. ## Resources and next steps - Follow the end-to-end [How to ship a FastAPI app on Vercel](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/ship-a-fastapi-app-on-vercel) guide to deploy and configure your app - Read the full [FastAPI on Vercel documentation](https://vercel.com/docs/frameworks/backend/fastapi) - Learn how the [Python runtime](https://vercel.com/docs/functions/runtimes/python) runs your code - Learn how [Vercel Functions](https://vercel.com/docs/functions) run your server code - Understand pricing and scaling with [Fluid compute](https://vercel.com/docs/fluid-compute) - Run code before requests with [Routing Middleware](https://vercel.com/docs/routing-middleware) - Serve static assets from the [CDN](https://vercel.com/docs/cdn) ## More Fluid compute guides - [How to choose between Functions, containers, and Daemons on Vercel](/kb/guide/vercel-functions-containers-daemons): Choose Vercel Functions for HTTP requests, container images for custom runtimes, and Daemons for continuous background workers. - [Migrate self-hosted Next.js and containers from AWS to Vercel](/kb/guide/migrate-containers-from-aws-to-vercel): Migrate Next.js apps and HTTP containers from AWS to Vercel. Configure AWS access, assess background workers, and plan testing, DNS cutover, and rollback. - [Next.js on Vercel vs Webflow Cloud](/kb/guide/next-js-on-vercel-vs-webflow-cloud): Compare running Next.js on Vercel Functions with Fluid compute against Webflow Cloud on Cloudflare Workers. Learn how Next.js feature support, runtimes, storage, pricing, and developer experience differ so you can choose the right platform.