Introducing FaunaDB: How to Set Up and Use a Serverless Multi‑Region Database

What is FaunaDB?

FaunaDB is a serverless, multi‑region database accessed via cloud APIs. It provides NoSQL flexibility (e.g., MongoDB) while delivering relational‑style speed and consistency, making it suitable for startups and personal projects.

Creating a FaunaDB account

Register at https://dashboard.fauna.com/accounts/register, create a free account, click “CREATE DATABASE”, specify a name and region, then generate an access key in the Security section.

Integrating FaunaDB with a Python application

Set up a Python environment (e.g., pipenv shell) and install the driver with pipenv install faunadb. The following script demonstrates connecting to the database, creating a collection, and performing CRUD operations.

# Import required packages
import os
from urllib.parse import urlparse
from faunadb import query as faunaquery
from faunadb.client import FaunaClient

try:
    secret = "DB_ACCESS_KEY"  # replace with your access key
    endpoint = "DB_ENDPOINT"  # replace with your endpoint

    database_url = urlparse(endpoint)

    client = FaunaClient(
        secret=secret,
        domain=database_url.hostname,
        port=database_url.port,
        scheme=database_url.scheme
    )

    # Create a collection
    result = client.query(faunaquery.create_collection({"name": "testCollection"}))
    print(f"Collection creation: {result}")

    # Insert documents
    result = client.query(
        faunaquery.map_(
            lambda username: faunaquery.create(
                faunaquery.collection("testCollection"),
                {"data": {"name": username}}
            ),
            ["Barry", "Sam", "Ashley", "Kat", "Nathan"]
        )
    )
    print(result)

    # Retrieve a document by reference ID
    result = client.query(
        faunaquery.get(
            faunaquery.ref(
                faunaquery.collection("testCollection"),
                "INSERT REFERENCE ID"
            )
        )
    )

    # Update a document
    result = client.query(
        faunaquery.update(
            faunaquery.ref(
                faunaquery.collection("testCollection"),
                "328031285277622849"
            ),
            {"data": {"name": "Barry Allen", "email": "[email protected]"}}
        )
    )

    # Delete a document
    result = client.query(
        faunaquery.delete(
            faunaquery.ref(
                faunaquery.collection("testCollection"),
                "328031285277622849"
            )
        )
    )
except Exception as error:
    print(f"Error occurred: {error}")

Result

When the script runs without error, the console prints the response of each CRUD operation, confirming that the collection was created and the standard database functions executed in fewer than 100 lines of code.