Python’s Flask micro web framework can be used to build web-based apps for interacting and displaying data-driven content. Although Flask is more frequently associated with web development, it can also be used in data science to create straightforward web interfaces, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), and visualisation tools that enable data scientists and analysts to present their data and analyses in a user-friendly and interactive way.
What is Flask Python Used For?
Python’s Flask micro web framework is well-liked and frequently used to create online apps. It offers a straightforward and adaptable method for developing Python-based web applications and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). Flask is renowned for its straightforward design, which gives developers the freedom to select the elements they desire and customise their apps to meet their needs.
Common Uses of Flask
Here are some common uses of Flask:
- Web Applications: Flask builds various types of web applications, including blogs, e-commerce sites, social media platforms, and more. Its simplicity and flexibility make it suitable for both small projects and larger, more complex applications.
- API Development: Create RESTful APIs that enable communication between different software systems. Use these APIs to share data, perform actions, and integrate various services.
- Prototyping: Flask’s lightweight nature makes it a great choice for quickly prototyping web-based ideas and concepts. It allows developers to rapidly create and test their ideas without the overhead of more complex frameworks.
- Microservices: Flask lends itself well to constructing microservices, which constitute small, autonomously deployable constituents within more extensive applications. Developers can construct each microservice utilizing Flask to offer distinct functionalities.
- Webhooks: Webhooks function by obtaining data from external services upon the occurrence of particular events. Flask enables the creation of endpoints capable of listening for these events and initiating actions within your application.
- Interactive Dashboards: Flask can be used to build interactive dashboards that visualize data in real-time. This is useful for data analysis, reporting, and monitoring purposes.
- Educational Projects: Flask is often used in educational settings to teach web development concepts due to its simplicity and clear structure. Students can quickly learn about routes, templates, and interactions between the front end and back end.
- Small to Medium-sized Websites: For websites that don’t require the complexity of larger frameworks, Flask provides a lightweight alternative that still supports various features.
- Integration with Data Science and Machine Learning: Flask empowers the creation of web interfaces for data science and machine learning models, facilitating user interaction and utilization of these models without the necessity of comprehending the underlying code.
What is a Framework?
The framework is the basis upon which software programs are built. It serves as a foundation for software developers, allowing them to create a variety of applications for certain platforms. A set of functions and predefined classes used to connect with the system software and handle inputs and outputs. The life of a developer while giving them the ability to use certain extensions and makes the online applications scalable and maintainable.
What are the key features of Flask?
Flask is a popular Python web framework that allows you to create web applications quickly and easily. Some of the key features of Flask are:
- Lightweight and minimalistic: Flask has very few dependencies and provides only the essential components for web development, such as routing, request handling, templating, and testing. This makes Flask easy to learn and use, and also gives you more flexibility and control over your application.
- Jinja2 templating engine: Flask uses Jinja2 as its default templating engine, which lets you write dynamic HTML templates with Python-like syntax. Jinja2 supports features such as inheritance, macros, filters, and expressions, and also offers security features such as auto-escaping and sandboxing.
- WSGI compliant: Flask is compliant with the Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI) standard, which defines how web servers and web applications communicate. This means that Flask can run on any WSGI-compatible web server, such as Gunicorn, uWSGI, or Apache.
- Extensible and modular: Flask supports a modular approach to web development, where you can organize your application into smaller and reusable components called blueprints. Flask also has a rich ecosystem of extensions that provide additional functionality, such as database integration, authentication, caching, email, and more. You can choose the extensions that suit your needs and customize them as you like.
Frontend Development vs Backend Development
- The front end of a website is the area with which the user immediately interacts. It contains everything that users see and interact with: text colours and styles, images and videos, graphs and tables, the navigation menu, buttons, and colours. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are used in developing the front end. Some of the frameworks for frontend are:AngularJSSencha Ext JSReact
- The backend of a website refers to the server-side of the website. It saves and organizes data and ensures that everything on the client-side of the website functions properly. It is the section of the website that you are unable to interact with or access. It is the part of the software that has no direct communication with the users. Back End development is done using Java, Python, C#, and JavaScript. Some of the framework for the backend are :FlaskTornadoPyramidArmin RonacherDjango
Flask Framework
Flask is used for developing web applications using python, implemented on Werkzeug and Jinja2. Advantages of using Flask framework are:
- There is a built-in development server and a fast debugger provided.
- Lightweight
- Support Secure cookies
- Templating using Jinja2
- Request dispatching using REST
- Support for unit testing is built-in
Installation of Flask
Python Version
Install the latest version of Python or at least use a version >= Python 3.7
Creating Virtual Environment
Virtual environments are separate collections of Python libraries, one for each project. Installed packages for one project do not affect other projects or the operating system’s packages. Python has the venv package, which allows you to build virtual environments.
