Creating Real-Time Polling App with FastAPI Websockets

When it comes to building real-time applications, websockets play a crucial role in allowing seamless communication between the client and the server. FastAPI is a modern, fast (high-performance), web framework for building APIs with Python 3.7+ based on standard Python type hints. It provides seamless integration with websockets, making it an ideal choice for building real-time applications.

In this article, we will demonstrate how to create a real-time polling app using FastAPI websockets. We will use HTML tags and FastAPI to create a simple polling interface and integrate it with websockets to update the poll results in real-time.

Setting up the Environment

Before we proceed with building the app, make sure to have FastAPI and uvicorn installed. You can do so using the following commands:

“`bash
pip install fastapi
pip install uvicorn
“`

Creating the FastAPI WebSocket Server

First, let’s create a FastAPI server with websockets support. Create a new Python file and add the following code:

“`python
from fastapi import FastAPI
from fastapi import WebSocket

app = FastAPI()

@app.websocket(“/ws”)
async def websocket_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket):
await websocket.accept()
while True:
data = await websocket.receive_text()
# Process the received data
# Update poll results
# Send updated results to connected clients
“`

Creating the Polling Interface

Now let’s create a simple polling interface using HTML tags. Create a new HTML file and add the following code:

“`html

Real-Time Polling App

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

// Add event listeners to send selected option to server
// Receive updated poll results from server and update the interface

“`

Integrating HTML Interface with FastAPI WebSocket

Now, let’s integrate the HTML interface with the FastAPI websocket server. Make sure to link the HTML file to the FastAPI server and establish a websocket connection. Add the necessary JavaScript code to send and receive data from the server using websockets.

Running the Application

Finally, run the FastAPI server using uvicorn and open the HTML interface in your web browser. You should now see the real-time polling app in action, where the poll results are updated in real-time as new votes come in.

“`bash
uvicorn your_app:app –reload
“`

By following this simple example, you can create powerful and efficient real-time applications using FastAPI websockets. The combination of FastAPI and websockets allows for seamless communication between the client and the server, enabling the creation of dynamic and real-time applications with ease.