Running FastAPI with uv as Dependency Manager

Follow these steps to run the FastAPI web application using uv for dependency management. These instructions are designed for users with no prior experience.

1. Install Python

Make sure you have Python 3.12 or higher installed. You can download it from python.org.

To check your Python version, open a terminal and run:

python --version

or

python3 --version

2. Install uv

uv is a fast Python dependency manager. Install it using the following command:

pip install uv

If you have multiple Python versions, you may need to use:

python3 -m pip install uv

3. Clone the Project Repository

Download the project files by cloning the repository. Replace <repo-url> with the actual repository URL:

git clone <repo-url>
cd CSCK507_NaturalLanguageProcessingAndUnderstanding

4. Install Project Dependencies

Use uv to install all required packages listed in pyproject.toml:

uv sync

This will automatically read the dependency file and install everything needed.

5. Download spaCy English Language Model

Some features require the spaCy language model. Download it using:

uv run -- spacy download en_core_web_lg

6. Start the FastAPI Web Server

Run the FastAPI application using uvicorn (installed as a dependency):

uv run uvicorn src.main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --reload

• uv run ensures all dependencies are available.
• uvicorn is the server that runs FastAPI.
• src.chatbot.main:app points to the FastAPI app instance.
• --host 0.0.0.0 makes the server accessible on your network.
• --reload enables auto-reloading for development.

7. Access the Web Application

Open your browser and go to:

http://localhost:8000

You should see the chatbot interface.

Troubleshooting

• If you see errors about missing dependencies, re-run uv sync.
• If uv is not recognized, ensure it was installed and your PATH is set correctly.
• For permission errors, try running commands with sudo (Linux/macOS) or as administrator (Windows).

Running Evaluations

To run model evaluations:

uv run python evals.py

To generate evaluation plots:

uv run python evals_plotting.py

Summary

1. Install Python and uv
2. Clone the repository
3. Install dependencies with uv sync
4. Download spaCy model
5. Start FastAPI with uv run uvicorn src.main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --reload
6. Open http://localhost:8000 in your browser

You do not need to manually install packages with pip—uv handles everything for you.