Since Guido Van Rossum created Python way back in 1991, it has grown into one of the most popular web development languages today. Python is a dynamically typed, interpreted, and object-oriented language that helps programmers to write code in a concise and logical way. In addition to the core language, there are various libraries and frameworks available for every possible technical domain.
Although Python comes with everything you might need, using a framework can help developers reduce development time as it provides boilerplate code for common details like protocols, sockets, and much more, thus freeing programmers to focus on application logic. Another advantage of frameworks is that they are typically open-source, secure, well documented, and efficient. Each framework has its own pros and cons, so the choice of a Python framework depends very much on the project requirements as well as the developer’s individual preferences.
In this programming tutorial, we will learn about the main types of Python frameworks, before delving into which frameworks are regarded as the cream of the crop.
Types of Python Frameworks
Whereas JavaScript frameworks can be divided into server and client-side, Python frameworks can be broken down into three distinct types, as follows:
- Full stack framework: Such frameworks are a one-stop solution for all developer requirements. From form generators and validators, to template layouts, full-stack frameworks come with everything developers might need.
- Microframework: Slightly more light-weight than their full-stack counterparts, microframeworks do not offer additional functionalities and features, such as database abstraction layer, form validation, and specific tools and libraries. Hence, developers need to add a lot of code and additional requirements manually.
- Asynchronous Framework: A newcomer to the Python framework arena, asynchronous frameworks are a type of microframework that allows for handling a large set of concurrent connections. Typically, asynchronous functionality is provided via Python’s asyncio library.
Now it is time to turn our attention to specific Python frameworks worth your consideration.
Django Python Framework
No, not that Django!
django is a free and open source high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Built by a team of experienced developers, it takes care of much of the hassle of web development, so you can focus on writing your app without needing to reinvent the wheel.
Features of Django
- Nearly – Django was designed to assist developers in taking their applications from concept to completion as quickly as possible.
- Safe – Django helps developers avoid many common security mistakes.
- Scalable – Django is able to quickly, and flexibly, scale.
The data-model syntax offers many rich ways of representing your models. Here is a quick example of Django in action:
from django.db import models class Reporter(models.Model): full_name = models.CharField(max_length=70) def __str__(self): return self.full_name class Article(models.Model): pub_date = models.DateField() headline = models.CharField(max_length=200) content = models.TextField() reporter = models.ForeignKey(Reporter, on_delete=models.CASCADE) def __str__(self): return self.headline
Pros of Django for Python
- Speed and scalability – Django skips a lot of the manual steps that would normally be involved in building something that can slow web developers down, allowing them to focus on creating great apps.
- community support – Having been around for over sixteen years (half the life of the Python language itself), and with such a broad range of applications, the Django community is thriving.
- Documentation – Django boasts one of the best sets of documentation among open-source frameworks. It is precise, exact, and well-organized for web developers just starting out in Python.
- Security – Django has a user authentication system, and includes Clickjacking, XSS, CSRF, and SQL injection protection, as well as HTTPS. Even better, all of Django’s security features come already set up, so programmers do not have to spend any time configuring it.
Cons of Django for Python
- Not good for simpler projects – Django is a high-level framework, so it lends itself more to more complicated projects. If you are looking for the right framework for smaller, easier projects, then you might want to look elsewhere.
- Can lead to slow websites – Although you can build web apps quickly with the Django framework, sometimes it can result in your website running quite slowly. Not related to the Python language or Django per se, the issue stems from the amount of resources you’re accessing with the framework.
- Lack of conventions – A coding convention is a group of guiding principles to follow when using a web framework. Unlike a framework like Rails, which espouses “Convention over Configuration“, Django does not use any conventions, which can cause some programmers to progress more slowly.
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flask
Flask is considered to be a microframework and is inspired by the Sinatra Ruby framework. It depends on the tool WSGI toolkit and the Jinja2 template.
The main idea behind Flask is to allow web developers to build a solid web application foundation. From there, you can use any extensions you might need.
Flask was originally created by Armin Ronacher as an April Fool’s joke that wound up becoming so popular it became a respected and well-accepted tool for building web applications. The name is a play on the bottle framework. Flask is one of the most popular web development frameworks among Python developers today (just barely behind Django).
Features of Flask Web Framework
- Development server and debugger
- Integrated support for unit testing
- RESTful request dispatching
- Supports Jinja templating
- Support for secure cookies
- WSGI 1.0 compliant
- Unicode based
- Extensive documentation
- Compatible with Google App Engine
- Robust extensions available
Developers can use Flask to create a database using a Python file that will generate an SQLite .db database file. Here is some example Python code that inserts data into a database using the Flask framework:
import sqlite3 connection = sqlite3.connect(‘database.db’) with open(‘schema.sql’) as f: connection.executescript(f.read()) cur = connection.cursor() cur.execute(“INSERT INTO posts (title, content) VALUES (?, ?)”, (‘First Post’, ‘Content for the first post’) ) cur.execute(“INSERT INTO posts (title, content) VALUES (?, ?)”, (‘Second Post’, ‘Content for the second post’) ) connection.commit() connection.close()
Pros of Flask
- Easy to understand – The Flask framework is easy for beginners to get the hang of. The simplicity in the flask framework enables the developer to navigate around their applications and learn from them.
- Very flexible – Almost all the parts of flask are open to change, unlike some other web frameworks.
- testing – Flask supports unit testing through its integrated support, built-in development server, fast debugger, and restful request dispatching.
Cons of Flask
- Developers beware! – As easy as it is for an amateur or a beginner to learn web development with the Flask framework, a bad developer can just as effortlessly write low-quality code.
- Scale – Flask has a singular source, which means that it handles every request in turn. So, if you are trying to serve multiple requests, it will take more time. With fewer tools at your disposal, you may need to install more modules, although this could be mitigated by using Python specialized hosting.
- modules – Using more modules requires additional third party involvement, which could result in a security breach. Moreover, the process and development is no longer between the web framework and the developer, because of the involvement of other modules. That could increase the security risk if a malicious module is included.
Final Thoughts on the Top Python Frameworks
In this first installation of the Top Python Frameworks series, we explored Django, and Flask. We will be adding other Python frameworks, like AIOHTTP, Bottle, and Web2Py. Stay tuned!
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