Flask Basics Building Web Applications in Python

Flask is a lightweight Python microframework that simplifies web development, enabling quick creation of APIs and dynamic applications. It features a flexible architecture built on Werkzeug and Jinja2, supports routing with decorators, and allows for dynamic HTML generation through Jinja2 templating. Flask's ecosystem includes community-driven extensions and integrates seamlessly with databases using Flask-SQLAlchemy, making it ideal for microservices and rapid prototyping.

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Flask Basics Building Web Applications in Python

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noorulainsiddiqui40

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Flask Basics: Building

Web Applications in
Python
Flask is a powerful yet lightweight Python microframework. It
simplifies web development, enabling quick creation of APIs and
dynamic applications. Its small footprint offers excellent flexibility.

by Noor Ul Ain Siddiqui

Flask Architecture: The Microframework
Approach
"Micro" Philosophy Core Components Extensibility
Flask provides core functionality, Built upon Werkzeug, a WSGI Its strength lies in a vibrant
allowing developers to choose toolkit, and Jinja2, a powerful ecosystem of community-driven
extensions. It avoids imposing templating engine. These form its extensions. These add features like
specific tools. foundation. databases or user authentication.
Routing in Flask: Mapping
URLs to Code
Define URL Patterns
Routes connect specific URLs to Python functions. They act as
navigation points.

Using Decorators
The @app.route() decorator simplifies route declaration. It is intuitive
and Pythonic.

Dynamic URLs
Capture variable parts of URLs, like user IDs. This creates flexible, data-
driven routes.

HTTP Methods
Specify accepted HTTP methods like GET or POST. This supports full
RESTful API design.
Jinja2 Templating: Dynamic HTML Generation
Jinja2 is Flask's powerful templating engine. It creates dynamic HTML
Syntax for Expressions
responses from static files. This separation improves code
organisation. Use {{ variable }} to display data. This cleanly injects
Python variables into HTML.
It allows developers to embed logic directly into HTML. This includes
loops and conditional statements.
Control Flow

{% statement %} enables loops and conditions. This adds

dynamic behaviour to templates.

Template Inheritance

{% extends %} and {% block %} promote code reuse. They

define base layouts and override sections.

Security: Auto-escaping

Jinja2 automatically escapes output by default. This prevents

common Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks.
Database Integration: Flask-
SQLAlchemy
ORM Simplification
Flask-SQLAlchemy streamlines database interactions. It integrates the powerful
SQLAlchemy ORM.

Broad Compatibility
Works with various databases, including SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.
Provides flexibility for projects.

Pythonic Models
Define database tables as Python classes. This makes data manipulation
intuitive and object-oriented.

Effortless Queries
Perform complex data retrievals with simple Python syntax. For example,
User.query.filter_by(...).first().
Dependency Management
with Poetry
1 Modern Packaging
Poetry replaces traditional pip and requirements.txt. It uses a single
pyproject.toml file.

2 Virtual Environments
Automatically manages isolated virtual environments. This ensures project
dependencies are contained.

3 Reproducible Builds
Guarantees consistent environments across different machines. This is
vital for team collaboration.

4 Conflict Resolution
Efficiently resolves complex dependency conflicts. This simplifies project
setup and maintenance.
Building a Simple Flask
Application
Initialise Project
Start with poetry new my_app. Then, add Flask and Flask-SQLAlchemy using
Poetry.

Create app.py
Set up your Flask application instance. Define your routes and render
templates here.

Design Template
Create templates/index.html. Use Jinja2 for dynamic content generation.