User Guide

This user guide provides comprehensive information about using and understanding the FastAPI Boilerplate. Whether you're building your first API or looking to understand advanced features, this guide covers everything you need to know.

What You'll Learn

This guide covers all aspects of working with the FastAPI Boilerplate:

Project Understanding

• Project Structure - Navigate the codebase organization and understand architectural decisions
• Configuration - Configure your application for different environments

Core Components

Database Operations

• Database Overview - Understand the data layer architecture
• Models - Define and work with SQLAlchemy models
• Schemas - Create Pydantic schemas for data validation
• CRUD Operations - Implement create, read, update, and delete operations
• Migrations - Manage database schema changes with Alembic

API Development

• API Overview - Build robust REST APIs with FastAPI
• Endpoints - Create and organize API endpoints
• Pagination - Implement efficient data pagination
• Exception Handling - Handle errors gracefully
• API Versioning - Manage API versions and backward compatibility

Security & Authentication

• Authentication Overview - Secure your API with JWT authentication
• JWT Tokens - Understand access and refresh token management
• User Management - Handle user registration, login, and profiles
• Permissions - Implement role-based access control

Performance & Caching

• Caching Overview - Improve performance with Redis caching
• Redis Cache - Server-side caching with Redis
• Client Cache - HTTP caching headers and browser caching
• Cache Strategies - Advanced caching patterns and invalidation

Background Processing

• Background Tasks - Handle long-running operations with ARQ

Rate Limiting

• Rate Limiting - Protect your API from abuse with Redis-based rate limiting

Prerequisites

Before diving into this guide, ensure you have:

• Completed the Getting Started section
• A running FastAPI Boilerplate instance
• Basic understanding of Python, FastAPI, and REST APIs
• Familiarity with SQL databases (PostgreSQL knowledge is helpful)

Next Steps

Ready to dive in? Here are recommended learning paths:

For New Users

1. Start with Project Structure to understand the codebase
2. Learn Database Models and Schemas
3. Create your first API Endpoints
4. Add Authentication to secure your API

For Experienced Developers

1. Review Database CRUD Operations for advanced patterns
2. Implement Caching Strategies for performance
3. Set up Background Tasks for async processing
4. Configure Rate Limiting for production use

For Production Deployment

1. Understand Cache Strategies patterns
2. Configure Rate Limiting with user tiers
3. Set up Background Task Processing
4. Review the Production Guide for deployment considerations

Choose your path based on your needs and experience level. Each section builds upon previous concepts while remaining self-contained for reference use.