Project X #18 ~ How to Build a Secure API with FastAPI, JWT, and SQLAlchemy — Authentication Made Simple

Learn how to build a secure FastAPI authentication system with JWT and SQLAlchemy. Step-by-step guide to user login, token validation, and protected routes.

When it comes to building web apps in this day and age, authentication is always front and center. From putting together small projects for yourself or building a system meant to handle millions of users, security has to be a top priority.

Without proper authentication and access control, even the most powerful API can be an open door for attackers.

In this project, we’re going to take a close look at building a secure authentication system in Python using FastAPI, JSON Web Tokens (JWT), and SQLAlchemy.

My goal for this project isn’t just to give you code that works—it’s to walk you through why each piece exists, how it functions, and what trade-offs you should be aware of.

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By the end, you’ll not only know how to create an authenticated API, but you’ll also have the understanding to take it further and use it in real-world applications.

FastAPI has become popular because it’s fast, easy to use, and works seamlessly with Python’s type hints.

When you pair it with SQLAlchemy for managing the database and JWT for token-based authentication, you get a modern, clean, and secure setup for building APIs.

Let’s start by looking at the overall structure of our project.

I’ll link the previous Project X, 5 Python Projects You Can Build This Weekend to Sharpen Real-World Skills for future reference.

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These projects take a lot of time and resources for me to craft in a way that I can present them and share them for you all.

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I’ve linked the Git repo and a full video to this project as always at the bottom. So if you’re ready to create something interactive, useful, and fun, let’s dive in—we’re just getting started!