Deploying a FastAPI project on Ubuntu 24

Update System Packages

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Python and Pip

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip -y

Install Git (if needed)

sudo apt install git -y

Install Virtual Environment

sudo apt install python3-venv -y

Clone Your FastAPI Project

git clone https://github.com/your-repo/your-fastapi-project.git
cd your-fastapi-project

Set Up a Virtual Environment

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

Test Your Application Locally. Run the app to ensure it works.

Replace main:app with your application’s entry point.

uvicorn main:app --reload

## Result

INFO:     Will watch for changes in these directories: ['/folder/folder']
INFO:     Uvicorn running on http://127.0.0.1:8000 (Press CTRL+C to quit)
INFO:     Started reloader process [26266] using WatchFiles
INFO:     Started server process [26268]
INFO:     Waiting for application startup.
INFO:     Application startup complete.

Install Gunicorn

pip install gunicorn

Test Gunicorn with Your FastAPI App.

Replace main:app with your application’s entry point.

gunicorn -w 4 -k uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker main:app

## Result

[2024-12-24 20:03:17 +0000] [26555] [INFO] Starting gunicorn 23.0.0
[2024-12-24 20:03:17 +0000] [26555] [INFO] Listening at: http://127.0.0.1:8000 (26555)
[2024-12-24 20:03:17 +0000] [26555] [INFO] Using worker: uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker
[2024-12-24 20:03:17 +0000] [26556] [INFO] Booting worker with pid: 26556
[2024-12-24 20:03:17 +0000] [26557] [INFO] Booting worker with pid: 26557
[2024-12-24 20:03:17 +0000] [26558] [INFO] Booting worker with pid: 26558
[2024-12-24 20:03:17 +0000] [26559] [INFO] Booting worker with pid: 26559
[2024-12-24 20:03:21 +0000] [26556] [INFO] Started server process [26556]
[2024-12-24 20:03:21 +0000] [26556] [INFO] Waiting for application startup.
[2024-12-24 20:03:21 +0000] [26556] [INFO] Application startup complete.
[2024-12-24 20:03:21 +0000] [26558] [INFO] Started server process [26558]
[2024-12-24 20:03:21 +0000] [26558] [INFO] Waiting for application startup.
[2024-12-24 20:03:21 +0000] [26558] [INFO] Application startup complete.
[2024-12-24 20:03:21 +0000] [26557] [INFO] Started server process [26557]
[2024-12-24 20:03:21 +0000] [26557] [INFO] Waiting for application startup.
[2024-12-24 20:03:21 +0000] [26557] [INFO] Application startup complete.
[2024-12-24 20:03:22 +0000] [26559] [INFO] Started server process [26559]
[2024-12-24 20:03:22 +0000] [26559] [INFO] Waiting for application startup.
[2024-12-24 20:03:22 +0000] [26559] [INFO] Application startup complete.

Install Nginx

sudo apt install nginx -y

Configure Nginx for Your FastAPI App.

Create a new configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/fastapi

Add the following configuration

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your_domain_or_IP;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
}

Save and close the file.

Enable the Configuration

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/fastapi /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

##Result

nginx: the configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok
nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful

Configure Gunicorn as a Systemd Service

Create a Gunicorn Service File

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/fastapi.service

Add the following configuration

[Unit]
Description=Gunicorn instance to serve FastAPI
After=network.target

[Service]
User=your_username
Group=www-data
WorkingDirectory=/path/to/your/project
ExecStart=/path/to/your/project/venv/bin/gunicorn -w 4 -k uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker main:app

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Replace /path/to/your/project with your project’s directory.

Start and Enable the Service

sudo systemctl start fastapi
sudo systemctl enable fastapi

##Result

Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/fastapi.service → /etc/systemd/system/fastapi.service.

Visit your server's domain or IP in the browser

Secure Your Application with SSL

Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Obtain an SSL Certificate

sudo certbot --nginx -d your_domain

Verify Auto-Renewal

sudo certbot renew --dry-run