Flask vs Django: Which Python Framework is Best?
Flask and Django are both powerful options as Python frameworks, but the main distinction is that Flask is a micro-framework while Django is a complete high-level framework.
This means that Django comes complete with libraries and leans towards the monolithic working style. In comparison, Flask is lightweight without external libraries, meaning that it can be customized in ways to work well in a microservices architecture.
What is a Python framework?
A Python web framework is a set of modules or packages that allows developers to create web applications and services. It allows developers to focus on the high-level details that solve business needs, instead of spending time on more low-level details such as protocols and process/thread management.
As a developer, you’ll write code that conforms to a framework. This allows you to "plug in" the framework and delegate responsibility for low-level communications. Because you’re able to focus on the application logic in your code, your application creation is more efficient. In a nutshell, frameworks such as Flask and Django make it much easier to create web applications.
What is Flask?
Flask is a Python microframework. Flask includes a built in development server and unit-testing support. It's fully Unicode-enabled, with RESTful request dispatching and WSGI compliance.
Flask is useful for small, straightforward applications. It allows you to manage your database in any way you want, such as using open-source toolkits like SQLAlchemy. Flask is used by many popular websites such as Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Features of Flask
Flask’s strength as a microframework is that it gives you the flexibility to choose what you need to build quickly. It has the following useful features that developers love:
- Lightweight framework: No external libraries
- Gives the developer full control over build decisions during the development phase.
- Has a built in server and debugger
- Thorough documentation for reference
- Easily understandable API
- RESTful and HTTP request handling
- Supports Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI) templates for flexibility and scalability
- Has integrated support for unit testing
- Easy to deploy to production
What is Django?
Django is a Python web framework with high-level features that allows for rapid development of secure and easily maintainable websites. Django allows developers to focus on developing their application and not get bogged down in the infrastructure or administrative or technical details of web development.
Features of Django
Django is an open-source framework that can be used to create a variety of websites with different types of content. Django is a component-based framework. This means that each layer can be used independently, making it easy to scale your application at any level.
Some of Django’s key features are:
- Comes with many libraries, including ones for scientific calculations, imaging, graphics, user authentication and various other web
- An inherent advantage to being Python-based, Django is portable
- Highly secure web framework including robust user authentication
- At the lower level, the architecture is based around the Model View Controller (MVC) pattern which makes it mainatablble
- Scalable under high loads, thus suitable for big projects
- Well documented releases and bug reports
Resources: Get insights into Flask vs Django and more
Python for Beginners: Are you new to coding? This course breaks down the core concepts of Python and shows you its flexibility and power. Use these courses, labs and exams as a foundation to working with Flask or Django.
Python based Microservices - Go from Zero to Hero: Want to get more real-life examples of how Flask fits in a modern microservices deployment? This learning path guides you through the process of quickly prototyping and building microservices, then deploying them with Docker.
Continuous Integration with Jenkins: This course demonstrates a project to build and test a Django application. You’ll learn how an application like this can fit within the continuous deployment process with Jenkins – a valuable real-life example.
FAQs
Is Flask easier than Django?
Flask is easier to learn than Django especially for newer users because Flask is a simpler framework and therefore has fewer abstraction layers. For long-term experience, it’s beneficial to learn both frameworks and make the most out of their advantages.
Is Django better than Flask?
Really, they are different since Django is a full framework with libraries and Flask is a lightweight microframework without libraries. Some differences to note are that Flask supports APIs, while Django does not. Django supports dynamic HTML pages, while Flask does not.
Is Django or Flask more popular?
If you judge by their Github ranking, both frameworks are about equally as popular. For users who are focused on a quick end goal, Django is more popular than Flask because it offers many features out of the box and makes it easier to create complex applications. If you want a nuanced fully customizable solution, then Flask is better because by definition it needs customization from the development team, making it fit your problem perfectly.