Introduction to Flask – A Python Web Framework

Flask is a lightweight and flexible web framework for Python. It is designed to make getting started with web development in Python quick and easy, and provides a simple and elegant way to build web applications. Flask is perfect for building smaller, less complex web applications, and is great for learning web development or for prototyping new ideas.

Getting Started with Flask

To get started with Flask, you first need to install it. You can install Flask using pip, the Python package manager, by running the following command in your terminal:

    
      $ pip install flask
    
  

Once Flask is installed, you can create a new Python file for your web application and start writing your Flask code. Here’s an example of a simple Flask application:

    
      from flask import Flask

      app = Flask(__name__)

      @app.route('/')
      def hello_world():
          return 'Hello, World!'

      if __name__ == '__main__':
          app.run()
    
  

In this example, we import the Flask class from the flask module, create a new Flask application, define a route for the root URL that returns a simple “Hello, World!” message, and then start the development server using app.run().

Features of Flask

Flask has many features that make it a great choice for web development in Python. Some of the key features of Flask include:

• Simple and easy to use
• Lightweight with minimal boilerplate
• Powerful and extensible with a wide range of extensions available
• Support for secure cookies, HTTP request handling, and more

Flask also has a thriving and active community, with a large number of third-party extensions and plugins available. This makes it easy to add additional functionality to your Flask applications, such as user authentication, database integration, and more.

Conclusion

Flask is a fantastic web framework for Python that makes it easy to get started with web development and build simple, elegant web applications. Whether you’re new to web development or an experienced developer, Flask is a great choice for building web applications in Python.