██FR█████ █INTELL███████████

Learn FastAPI the Interactive Way — A Hands-On Tutorial Platform


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Vitalii

Learn FastAPI the Interactive Way

FastAPI is one of the fastest-growing Python frameworks for building APIs.

It’s async-first, leverages type hints, and comes with automatic validation and documentation.

But the first hurdle for many learners is setup: installing dependencies, configuring uvicorn, and managing environments before you even write code.

FastAPI Interactive solves this by bringing everything into the browser — so you can start coding right away.

What is FastAPI Interactive?

👉 fastapiinteractive.com

It’s a free browser-based learning platform for FastAPI.

Each lesson includes:

  • Short theory sections (concept explained clearly)
  • An editor + console to write and run FastAPI code
  • Instant feedback with automated checks
  • Progress tracking across lessons

Think of it as “learn by coding” instead of “learn by reading”.

FastAPI Interactive Lesson

The Learning Path: FastAPI Basics

The first course, FastAPI Basics, has 15 lessons (about 6–7 hours total).

Here’s the full list so far:

  1. First Steps
  2. Path Parameters
  3. Query Parameters
  4. Request Body Basics
  5. Query Validations
  6. Path Validations
  7. Body: Multiple Parameters
  8. Body Fields
  9. Body: Nested Models
  10. Extra Data Types
  11. Response Model
  12. Extra Models
  13. Response Status Code
  14. Request Forms
  15. Request Files

⚡ This isn’t the full curriculum yet. I’m actively working on adding more lessons and plan to release bigger, project-oriented tutorials — like building standalone APIs for blogs, chatbots, and other real-world apps.

What Makes It Different?

FastAPI Interactive is not just about reading theory. It’s about doing.

Here’s what you can do inside the platform:

  • Write and run code directly in the browser
  • Execute real tests against your solutions
  • Send custom payloads to your endpoints and see how they respond
  • Experiment with variations of your code and get instant feedback

This means you’re not just learning concepts — you’re practicing how to build and test APIs like you would in a real project.

Example Lesson: File Uploads

In the Request Files lesson you’ll learn two ways to upload files:

from fastapi import FastAPI, File, UploadFile

app = FastAPI()

@app.post("/files/")
async def create_file(file: bytes = File()):
    return {"file_size": len(file)}

@app.post("/uploadfile/")
async def create_upload_file(file: UploadFile):
    return {"filename": file.filename}
  • File() → gives you file content as bytes (good for small files).
  • UploadFile → provides metadata + streaming, better for larger files.

Testing endpoints in FastAPI Interactive

Why This Approach Works

  • Hands-on → You actually build endpoints, not just read docs.
  • No setup → Everything runs in the browser, no Docker hell.
  • Instant feedback → Tests confirm if your code works.
  • Real-world concepts → From query params to file uploads, it’s what you’d use in production.

Accessibility & Good Practices

  • Each lesson encourages validation (using Pydantic models, enums, unions).
  • Exercises highlight security considerations like sanitizing filenames and checking content types.
  • The course structure keeps a natural heading flow (H2/H3), making it easy to follow for screen readers.

How to Start

Visit 👉 fastapiinteractive.com

Open the first lesson and code directly in your browser — no Python installation required.

Final Thoughts

FastAPI is quickly becoming a go-to for backend developers.

If you want a practical, zero-setup way to learn, FastAPI Interactive gives you that path: short theory + real coding + instant feedback.

Try it here: fastapiinteractive.com


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Vitalii