FastAPI & MongoDB on Ubuntu 24.04 – The Ultimate Setup Guide

FastAPI is one of the most efficient and modern Python web frameworks, offering lightning-fast performance for API development. When combined with MongoDB, a highly scalable NoSQL database, it creates a powerful backend for web applications. In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up FastAPI with MongoDB on Ubuntu 24.04, ensuring a smooth and optimized deployment.

Why Choose FastAPI with MongoDB?

Before jumping into the setup process, let’s understand why FastAPI and MongoDB make a great combination:

✅ Blazing Fast Performance – FastAPI is designed for speed, thanks to asynchronous programming and Pydantic validation.
✅ Scalability & Flexibility – MongoDB is a NoSQL database that can handle large amounts of data with ease.
✅ Easy Integration – FastAPI works seamlessly with MongoDB using libraries like Motor (for async operations).
✅ Minimal Boilerplate Code – With FastAPI, you can build APIs quickly without unnecessary complexity.

Step 1: Update Ubuntu 24.04 and Install Python

Start by updating your Ubuntu 24.04 system to ensure everything is up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Next, install Python 3 and pip (Python package manager):

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip -y

Verify the installation:

python3 --version

Step 2: Install FastAPI & Uvicorn

FastAPI requires Uvicorn, an ASGI server to run efficiently. Install both using pip:

pip3 install fastapi uvicorn

To confirm FastAPI is installed, check its version:

python3 -c "import fastapi; print(fastapi.__version__)"

Step 3: Install and Configure MongoDB

MongoDB is the database that will store your application data. Install it using:

sudo apt install mongodb -y

Start and enable MongoDB:

sudo systemctl start mongodb

sudo systemctl enable mongodb

Verify that MongoDB is running:

sudo systemctl status mongodb

Step 4: Connect FastAPI to MongoDB

We need Motor, an asynchronous MongoDB driver, to connect FastAPI to MongoDB:

pip3 install motor

Now, create a main.py file and add the following FastAPI connection logic:

from fastapi import FastAPI

from motor.motor_asyncio import AsyncIOMotorClient

app = FastAPI()

# MongoDB Connection

MONGO_URI = "mongodb://localhost:27017"

client = AsyncIOMotorClient(MONGO_URI)

db = client["mydatabase"]

@app.get("/")

async def read_root():

    return {"message": "FastAPI with MongoDB is running!"}

Step 5: Run FastAPI on Ubuntu 24.04

Launch the FastAPI application using Uvicorn:

uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000 --reload

Your API is now running! Open your browser and visit:

👉 http://localhost:8000

For automatic API documentation, visit:

👉 http://localhost:8000/docs

✅ Final Thoughts

With FastAPI and MongoDB, you now have a powerful and efficient backend running on Ubuntu 24.04. Whether you’re building a small API or a large-scale application, this setup ensures speed, scalability, and flexibility.

Start building your FastAPI-powered applications today!