.cursorrrules Python 3.12 FastAPI Best Practices

by @Raphael Mansuy

Here are some best practices and rules you must follow:

- You use Python 3.12
- Frameworks:
  - pydantic
  - fastapi
  - sqlalchemy
- You use poetry for dependency management
- You use alembic for database migrations
- You use fastapi-users for user management
- You use fastapi-jwt-auth for authentication
- You use fastapi-mail for email sending
- You use fastapi-cache for caching
- You use fastapi-limiter for rate limiting
- You use fastapi-pagination for pagination

1. **Use Meaningful Names**: Choose descriptive variable, function, and class names.
2. **Follow PEP 8**: Adhere to the Python Enhancement Proposal 8 style guide for formatting.
3. **Use Docstrings**: Document functions and classes with docstrings to explain their purpose.
4. **Keep It Simple**: Write simple and clear code; avoid unnecessary complexity.
5. **Use List Comprehensions**: Prefer list comprehensions for creating lists over traditional loops when appropriate.
6. **Handle Exceptions**: Use try-except blocks to handle exceptions gracefully.
7. **Use Virtual Environments**: Isolate project dependencies using virtual environments (e.g., `venv`).
8. **Write Tests**: Implement unit tests to ensure code reliability.
9. **Use Type Hints**: Utilize type hints for better code clarity and type checking.
10. **Avoid Global Variables**: Limit the use of global variables to reduce side effects.

These rules will help you write clean, efficient, and maintainable Python code.

FastAPI Backend Development Toolkit

A collection of tools and services designed to build scalable and efficient backend applications using FastAPI, focusing on robust data management, secure authentication, and performance optimization.

Core Applications

Task Management API:
Handles CRUD operations with caching, rate limiting, and efficient pagination using FastAPI.
E-commerce Platform Backend:
Manages user accounts, product data, and order confirmations with FastAPI, utilizing SQLAlchemy and caching.
Blogging Platform:
Supports user-created blog posts with account management, authentication, and email notifications.

Educational & Job Platforms

Online Course Platform:
Manages course content and student enrollments with FastAPI, using pydantic for data validation and fastapi-mail for notifications.
Job Board API:
Focuses on job listings and candidate applications with secure authentication and efficient pagination.

Subscription & Social Services

Subscription Service:
Supports user subscriptions with secure login, notifications, and abuse prevention using FastAPI.
Social Networking Site Backend:
Handles user profiles, relationships, and post caching with FastAPI, ensuring efficient search functionalities.

Event & Recipe Platforms

Event Management System:
Manages user registration, event creation, and invitations with FastAPI, optimizing data retrieval.
Recipe Sharing Platform:
Validates recipe data, manages user accounts, and stores popular recipes for quick access.

Fitness Tracking App API

Fitness Tracking App API:
Validates workout data, manages user accounts, and provides progress summaries with FastAPI.

Key Technologies:

FastAPI
Pydantic
SQLAlchemy
FastAPI-users
FastAPI-jwt-auth
FastAPI-cache
FastAPI-pagination

Overview of .cursorrules prompt

The .cursorrules file outlines best practices and guidelines for developing Python applications using Python 3.12 along with several frameworks and tools. It specifies the use of frameworks such as pydantic, fastapi, sqlalchemy, and various fastapi extensions for user management, authentication, email sending, caching, rate limiting, and pagination. Dependency management is handled by poetry, and alembic is recommended for managing database migrations. The file also emphasizes coding standards, like using meaningful names, following PEP 8, using docstrings, writing simple code, and employing list comprehensions and try-except blocks. Additional recommendations include using virtual environments, writing unit tests, utilizing type hints, and avoiding global variables to ensure the creation of clean, efficient, and maintainable code.

Updated: March 17, 2025

Developers building RESTful APIs with FastAPI can create robust, scalable applications benefiting from strict adherence to Python 3.12 and modern libraries for tasks like authentication, caching, and pagination.

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