SQLAlchemy Setup in Python
From the FastAPI cheat sheet · Database Integration · verified Jul 2026
SQLAlchemy Setup
Configure SQLAlchemy with FastAPI using dependency injection.
python
# database.py
from sqlalchemy import create_engine
from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker, DeclarativeBase
engine = create_engine("sqlite:///./app.db")
SessionLocal = sessionmaker(bind=engine)
class Base(DeclarativeBase):
pass💡 Use the yield dependency pattern to ensure DB sessions are always closed
⚡ For PostgreSQL, install: pip install psycopg2-binary
📌 check_same_thread is only needed for SQLite — remove it for other databases
🟢 Call Base.metadata.create_all() once at startup to create tables
databasesqlalchemysetup