🧠 FastAPI To-Do List App with MongoDB

A lightweight and efficient backend web server built using FastAPI and MongoDB, ideal for modern Python-based RESTful APIs.

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🚀 Features

• ⚡ FastAPI for high-performance async API routes
• 🍃 MongoDB Atlas integration for cloud-hosted NoSQL storage
• 🛠️ Clean structure and support for .env secrets
• ♻ Auto-reload server on code changes during development
• 🐳 Dockerized for easy deployment and environment consistency

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📦 Dependencies

Install the required Python packages using:

pip install fastapi uvicorn pymongo python-dotenv
pip install fastapi uvicorn pymongo

🍃 Setting Up MongoDB Atlas

1. Go to https://www.mongodb.com/
2. Log in
3. Click homepage logo > Project (Create New) > Connect > Drivers
4. Create a cluster and connect it via Drivers → Python
   1. python -m pip install "pymongo[srv]"
5. Ensure the IP you are currently using is set as an allowed IP (within your MongoDB account within 'Network Access'.)

⚡ Run FastAPI Web App

uvicorn main:app --reload --no-use-colors

🐳 Docker

This project is fully Dockerized for consistent development and deployment environments.

📦 Build the Docker image

docker build -t fastapi-todo-app .

🚀 Run the container

docker run -d -p 8000:8000 --env-file .env fastapi-todo-app

🔁 Development with live reload

Mac

docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -v $(pwd):/app --env-file .env fastapi-todo-app uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Windows

docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -v %cd%:/app --env-file .env fastapi-todo-app uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Notes

• fastapi-todo-app
  • name of the Docker image
• uvicorn main:app
  • Start FastAPI app with Uvicorn
• --reload
  • Enables live-reload on code changes
• --host 0.0.0.0
  • Binds the app to all network interfaces inside the container, so it’s accessible from outside
• --port 8000
  • Exposes the app on port 8000 inside the container

🚀 Production Without live reload

docker run -d -p 8000:8000 --env-file .env fastapi-todo-app uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Build docker container with the name fastapi using the dockerfile from the root dir:

docker build -t fastapi .

Images running, verify changes were made using timestamps

docker images

Run docker server

docker run -p 8080:80 fastapi

• To view web server go to web browser and visit the URL: localhost:8080

Build container using the docker compose yaml file to view file changes dynamically

docker compose up --build 

List all the running containers

docker ps

• View the system logs
• Get the container ID, from running docker ps
  • 4a88d5012d41

docker attach 4a88d5012d41

E.g: INFO: Shutting down
INFO: Waiting for application shutdown.
INFO: Application shutdown complete.
INFO: Finished server process [16]
INFO: Stopping reloader process [1]

Initiate or run the dcoker container again without building it

docker compose up

Access the live container and view it's files through CLI terminal

• -it: Interactive terminal access
• /bin/bash: Open the terminal within the directory with the project

docker exec -it 4a88d5012d41 /bin/bash

• Check the contents of the directory to confirm that this is the correct directory

ls