Why use Python for web development?
- Asynchronous coding
- Useful in scripting and software testing
- High usage in machine learning and artificial intelligence
- Useful in data science
- Possess portability and interactivity
And, the list can go on.
However, the underlying question remains as we pinpoint Python for web development.
The question is, which Python framework to use for web development?
Well, there is no straight answer to it. But we can definitely pick up on Flask and Django. However, to understand the key applications of these frameworks for Python web development, we will have to identify the difference between Flask vs Django.
What is Flask?
Flask is a web-based framework of Python, which is prominently used for web development. It is usually classified as a microframework as it doesn’t require any kind of tools or libraries. Flask contains no database, abstraction layer, or any component, wherein the pre-existing third-party libraries offer common or similar functions.
What are the Top Features of Flask Framework?
- Fast Debugging
- Restful Request Handling
- Application Programming Interface
- Flexible Configuration
- Integrated Unit Testing
What are the Benefits of Using Flask for Web Development?
Below are the top features of using Flask for web development:
- Flask offers easy routing of URLs.
- It provides ease for developing and maintaining applications.
- The size of the codebase is relatively small.
- Flask offers the ease to develop a prototype in the least possible time.
- It is highly compatible, scalable, and flexible with the latest technologies.
What is Django?
Django in Python is known as a high-level web framework for enabling rapid, secure, and maintainable websites. It is a free as well as an open-source framework, following the model-template-views. Django can amplify the speed of web application development and produce a clean and pragmatic design.
Developers prefer Django, owing to its cross-site scripting for handling a large number of end users. In addition to this, it can also manage a complex feature set–user authentication, API connectivity, and more. Any developer having proficiency in Python programming language, as well as its syntax, can commence a project using the Django framework.
What are the Top Features of Django?
- Speedy web development
- SEO optimization
- Versatility of web development
- High-level security
- High scalability
What are the Benefits of Using Django?
Below are the crucial benefits of using Django:
- Django offers the creation of dynamic pages using templates.
- It offers enhanced security and extensive development experience.
- Django provides scalable web development.
- It is compatible with the majority of databases and operating systems.
- The Python framework offers robust security features.
Flask vs Django: What are the Key Comparison Between Python Frameworks?
Flask and Django are the two leading Python frameworks. Most product development companies often use them interchangeably. However, these frameworks have their own set of features and functionalities. To set the tone for key points of difference between–Flask vs Django, let’s understand the basics.
Django was officially released in 2005, while Flask was born five years later in 2010. Flask is known as a WSGI framework. In stark contrast, Django is a full-stack web framework. Besides this, Flask and Django enables developers to use multiple kinds of databases.
Similarly, there are numerous features distinguishing the two web app development frameworks. Let’s understand Flask vs Django in detail:
Template Engine
Template engines enable developers to inject information to a page of the backend in a dynamic manner.
Django needs to be developed in a template engine. On the other hand, Flask does not need to be built in a template engine. In addition to this, Flask is actually dependent on the Jinja2 format engine. However, it may be also possible to use Jinja2 alongside Django. Besides this, the templating of Django and Jinja2 are very similar to each other when it comes to syntax.
In a nutshell, it would be fair to say that for Flask vs Django, both these frameworks extend support and underpin static files.
Admin
Flask, in general, lacks the feature required to efficiently handle administrative tasks. However, the web development application has an extension known as Flask Admin. Flask admin can offer support to multiple databases backends (for example, SQLAlchemy and MongoEngine).
In stark contrast to Flask, Django has an in-built admin panel. In addition, the web application provides a user interface for Python developers for managing data on the basis of their specific models. This interface can be tailored as per the requirements to suit the functionalities.
In addition to this, the admin panel of Django facilitates speedy CRUD operations against the models. As a result, Python developers can build any kind of application without having to use any external input or write any additional code.
Database
Django homes an in-built ORM (Object Relational Mapping), enabling developers to work with numerous relational databases systems. The ORM can, in turn, support database migrations as well as other tasks of the database. It also represents practicality and ease of use as it doesn’t require Python developers to write long queries. In addition to this, Django also enables the creation of templates, views, as well as forms as per the specific data models.
However, Flask does not offer an in-built solution. However, it has multiple libraries–PonyORM, PyMongo, and SQLAlchemy and extensions–Flask-Alembic, Flask-Pony, and Flask-Peewee. Flask is available for non-relational and relational databases.
To summarize, the battery of Django is extremely beneficial for relational databases. However, it doesn’t offer in-built solutions for non-relational databases. In addition to this, Flask provides the Python developer with the freedom to select and execute the most practical ODM or ORM for particular applications.
Development
Django distinguishes itself from the other Python frameworks, owing to its characteristic for developing complex web applications in a speedy manner. As it incorporates the batteries, the python developers have the needed tools for speedy implementation. Besides this, the key principle of Django enables easy scalability and maintainability for web applications.
In addition to this, Django, in turn, enables python developers to segregate their projects into multiple small chunks of page applications. Unlike Django, Flask projects relate to a single web app. However, Python developers add multiple views and models to a single page web application.
Flexibility
The in-built features of Django are the biggest benefits. With multiple out-of-the-box features, Django can save a lot of time for Python developers to handle complex applications. But not many python developers know that there is a cost for this time-saving feature of Django, which is flexibility.
While you use Django, Python developers can’t freely access the other libraries as well as plugins as they would do with Flask. Flask facilitates Python developers to develop as well as add functionalities to simple web applications in utmost flexible manner. As a result, it becomes easy for Python developers using Flask to scale the application as well as improve the response of projects with dynamic requirements.
Other than the flexibility, Flask usually consumes more time for set ups. In addition to this, Python developers using Flask have to consider adding the right tools as well as libraries as per the requirements and specifications of the project.
Flask vs Django: How to Choose the Best Framework for your Python Web Development?
Now that we have gone through the best and the worst of Flask vs Django, it’s now time to approach a conclusion. While Flask is usually lightweight and requires less amount of coding, Django is usually the best bet for experienced developers to select on the architecture of the project.
Python developers often find it easier to learn Flask over Django. However, Django is capable of simplifying and building complex web applications.
Confused, aren’t you?
We will put an end to the confusion.
Django intends to offer everything to a Python developer for building a web application. As a result, Django developers often take less time to meet the end goals of the project. Django is better suited over Flask when it comes to developing data-driven and complex websites–media websites, social media websites, online marketplace, etc. As there are numerous in-built features in Django also be, it enables the ease to scale the web application and keep the development highly organized.
Hence, when it comes to developing heavy-duty web applications, you can surely tick Django from Flask vs Django.
Now let’s talk about Flask. Flask can be better used for the development of web applications that deal with more static content. It is not that Flask can’t handle complex web applications. In fact, Airbnb and Reddit are built using Flask. However, the lack of organization of tools and libraries make it difficult to build a complex web application using Python and Flask together.
As a result, out of Flask vs Django, the former weighs more than the latter for the development of web applications with static content and data.
If you were to select the right framework for your project, it is recommended to go through the following questions:
- What is the approximate size of the application?
- What is the exact structure of the application?
- What is the purpose of the application?
- What is the scalability quotient of the application?
- How is the content of the application going to be–Static or dynamic?
Once you have the answers to these questions, you can go back to the points of difference between Flask and Django and match the best framework for Python web development.
If not, our experts can always block their calendars for the consultation.
