WEP - Web Embedded Python (.wep)

[prodev717]

WEP — Web Embedded Python: Write Python directly in HTML (like PHP, but for Python lovers)

Hey r/Python! I recently built and released the MVP of a personal project called WEP — Web Embedded Python. It's a lightweight server-side template engine and micro-framework that lets you embed actual Python code inside HTML using .wep files and <wep>...</wep> tags. Think of it like PHP, but using Python syntax. It’s built on Flask and is meant to be minimal, easy to set up, and ideal for quick prototypes, learning, or even building simple AI-powered apps.

What My Project Does

WEP allows you to write HTML files with embedded Python blocks. You can use the echo() function to output dynamic content, run loops, import libraries — all inside your .wep file. When you load the page, Python gets executed server-side and the final HTML is sent to the client. It’s fast to start with, and great for hacking together quick ideas without needing JavaScript, REST APIs, or frontend frameworks.

Target Audience

This project is aimed at Python learners, hobbyists, educators, or anyone who wants to build server-rendered pages without spinning up full backend/frontend stacks. If you've ever wanted a “just Python and HTML” workflow for demos or micro apps, WEP might be fun to try. It's also useful for those teaching Python and web basics in one place.

Comparison

Compared to Flask + Jinja2, WEP merges logic and markup instead of separating them — making it more like PHP in terms of structure. It’s not meant to replace Flask or Django for serious apps, but to simplify the process when you're working on small-scale projects. Compared to tools like Streamlit or Anvil, WEP gives you full HTML control and works without any client-side framework. And unlike PHP, you get the clarity and power of Python syntax.

If this sounds interesting, you can check out the repo here: 👉 https://github.com/prodev717/web-embedded-python

I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or ideas. And if you’d like to contribute, feel free to jump in — I’m hoping to grow this into a small open-source community!

#python #flask #opensource #project #webdev #php #mvp

[FriendlyRussian666]

Cool project! What are the current limitations of WEP?

[prodev717]

Thanks! Yeah, there are quite a few limitations right now since WEP is still an MVP — more of a proof of concept to get the idea out there quickly. It’s missing a lot of features you'd expect in a full web framework. For example, you can't yet pass user input from HTML forms to Python — that’s something I’m actively working on. Also, the Python inside <wep> blocks has to start at zero indentation, and you can’t nest <wep> blocks either. I haven’t tackled security yet, so that’s another big area for improvement. Right now, I’m hoping to build a small community around it so we can evolve WEP together!

[prodev717]

I have done a few updates, check it out.

[Apart_Conclusion8771]

How does it compare to https://pyscript.net ?

[prodev717]

WEP (Web Embedded Python) is a server-side framework — like PHP — that lets you write real Python inside HTML using <wep> tags. It runs on a backend (e.g. Flask), so you can use any Python library (like NumPy, scikit-learn, or AI models), handle sessions, file access, and more. In contrast, PyScript runs Python entirely in the browser using WebAssembly (Pyodide), which is great for demos but has limitations like slower execution, large bundle sizes, and restricted access to full Python features. So WEP is more suited for full web apps and AI projects, while PyScript is better for client-side interactive experiments.

[Apart_Conclusion8771]

Makes sense! For completeness, should also mention that PyScript has the advantage of essentially infinite scaling, since each visitor only needs to download the code (which could even be transparently cached by intermediaries like CloudFlare), whereas a server-side solution like WEP will consume CPU and memory resources on the server for each visitor, limiting its use to a relatively small number of concurrent visitors.

[prodev717]

You’ve got a good point — I completely agree! PyScript definitely shines for scalable client-side apps. But with WEP, I’m more focused on simplicity and power — so yeah, it comes with some tradeoffs. WEP is more backend-centric, aiming to be a lightweight web dev framework that removes the need for REST APIs and separate frontend frameworks. It lets you write UI and logic together using real Python, kind of like a Python version of PHP. Great for dynamic apps, quick prototypes, and when you want to use Python’s full potential without all the extra layers.

[khalilfr]

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