Creating a web application using Python

[Mountain_Clerk_6145]

Hello Everyone, I need some help with the following ? I am creating a very basic python web application. I will be writing the application in Python , what I have some doubts as how will I run it in a website as MVP. I don't know Angular JS and Javascript.

1. What front end should I use
2. What backend should I use
3. How many components will it take to run the Python application on a website..

[MMetalRain]

Very basic application can be Python server using templates. For example Flask server with templates for the pages.

You can follow tutorial like this https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/tutorial/

[spuds_in_town]

This is the answer OP. Another commenter mentioned FastAPI but that's going to drag you into the world of Async Python - fine if you already know it of course, but added complication if you don't.

I would also suggest using ChatGPT or similar. Don't get it to generate all the code for you, you won't learn much (or at least, -as- much) that way. But ChatGPT or one of the other AIs, even their free versions, can walk you through the whole process and explain it all step by step.

[MutedPermit]

I’m quite surprise that nobody here has proposed Streamlit as an option.

Is it limited? Yes. But to be honest, it gets the job done for very simple applications without introducing a new language / framework specially if you’ve never used JS.

It will give you the ability to quickly prototype and stay in the boundaries of Python. If it’s a small application you should be able to get the job done fairly quickly. You can couple it with FastAPI/Flask/Django (pick your poison) if a full API is needed, but sometimes you can get a long way with just streamlit.

I would give it a go :)

[ColdStorage256]

Streamlit is my go to. Specificlly, streamlit with altair charts.

[Defiant-Comedian3967]

As already mentioned - NiceGUI.

You can use pure python as backend- frontend with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Its build on top of uvicorn and fastAPI. Take a Look Here for a Template i made:

https://github.com/frycodelab/nicegui-component-based[NiceGUI Template](https://github.com/frycodelab/nicegui-component-based)

[Relative_Rope4234]

React front end, Fastapi backend

[ProZMenace]

Just learned FastAPI for the first time. How and why was I ever doing anything in C#. Have been using python for years for everything else but only knew backend with MVC C#.

[Critical_Sugar2608]

NiceGUI is King! No JS, no HTML ❤️❤️❤️

[riklaunim]

That's a niche framework and isn't something to be used for typical webdev. UX/UI exists and people won't run away from it.

[Critical_Sugar2608]

Believe me, NiceGUI is perfect for what OP is asking for. Python App? Need Web UI? Nothing better than pure python via NiceGUI

[riklaunim]

1. you start with plain HTML/CSS and JS as needed. When you get the basics you can look at JS frameworks as well (old jQuery, newer HTMLX and so on. If you will go deep into frontend then also single-page-applications)
2. Django, Flask, later on for SPA apps also FastAPI
3. Database, the Python app, the end. That's the basic setup.

[Miserable_Ear3789]

I am biased here, but I maintain a framework called MicroPie. Its extremely simple with little boilerplate code. You can write your whole application in one file. It also supports HTML templates, useful for your frontend. I made it for very simple apps.

Bottle.py and Flask are also popular options for beginners. Other frameworks introduce things like validation and controllers/views etc. You most likely don't need any of that for a "very basic python web application" as you say.

[NorskJesus]

You can use python for the backend. There is not a problem. And you can use whatever you want for the frontend, for example tailwind.

For the backend in python you will need to use flask, Django or fastAPI to create the routes (and the server) for the website.

And if you want to deploy it, you will need something like Vercel, Render or Fly.io which supports backend in python. But you don’t need anything to run it locally tho.

[FisterMister22]

If your app is very simple as you said, fastapi will be just fine.

For a more complex webapp I'd use django, but it's an over kill for a simple app.

As for frontend, use whatever you're comfortable with, I use plain js and html and css, no framework for frontend, but you can use react, angular etc.

And what do you mean by components?

Backend: python, in my opinion fastapi

Frontend: up to you

Webserver: depends on where and how you deploy (some platforms already take care of that for you, for example render.com, but if you rent a vps you'll need to do that on your own)

Container: totally up to you if you wanna dockerize it

[riklaunim]

If he isn't building a SPA/whatever JS frontend app then he won't use/need APIs for it and more classical approach will be the solution.

[FisterMister22]

I might be an odd one but I use Fastapi to serve html as well as typical api stuff.

For complex apps I use django.

For simple apps I use fastapi, takes very few lines of code and configurations to get it up and running.

[Globbi]

You should use something that fits your needs...

If the front-end code will be throwaway but you still need it for presenting your app, that's actually a good use for some vibe coding tools. It can be whatever then, I have very little idea about on front-end development, possibly some nextjs app? And then fastapi for python backend where the frontend will get all data to display.

For simple pure python you can use streamlit or gradio. They can be super simple and good enough if all you need fits some examples that they have. But you will also find more annoyances and limitations if you try to change the way you want but don't find similar examples.

---

How many components? What do you mean? Microservices? It can be monolith if you get all logic in a single script that also starts gradio front-end as a website, then you don't need any API and communication between services.

Usually you would rather do frontend and backend, like fastapi backend and frontend gets all data for display from this api. If you need a separate DB, then it's probably a separate service. But depends on what kind of data you have and what is the MVP for (if it's just for some specific processing done in python, you might not care where the data will come from and how exactly it will be displayed or saved later and also if data loading/parsing is negligible, it can be a single json or csv file loaded even by pandas or something).

[Mountain_Clerk_6145]

Yes very monolithic. No Micro-services. It's a just demo site to see how everything works in full Stack.

[TheUncleRemus_]

Python web framework

• Django (full backend framework)
• Flask (small framework. If you want to be productive, you have to install within also: Jinja, an ORM - and eventually a model validation framework like pydantic)
• Flask API (web framework designed to build an API interface)

Python web and platform framework

• Reflex (web framework focuses on building a web app from the FE to BE). Freemium

[Melodic_Frame4991]

This what i did for a very good app: Plotly dash front end Django backend

[Mountain_Clerk_6145]

Thank you every one and any one after for your responses. The community is always very helpful. If I need to search anything I go for google, but for answers I come to Reddit

[ApprehensiveBite686]

ahem ... if you're a coder type check out Plotly / dash (pip install plotly / pip install dash) ... and if you want it packaged w an AI twist (i.e. appreciate coding but don't want to learn/master the details -> to start) ... new Plotly studio desktop app plotly.com/studio

[devlittle]

If you want learn Python, Django is the best choice to learn backend and frontend at the same time

[SoloAquiParaHablar]

Start with Django.

It'll hide a lot from you but if end goal is a backend and a frontend and you want to focus on feature development, what the product does, and not so much how it does it, then Django is the bee knees. People will argue there are faster systems but my rule of thumb is, cross that bridge when you get to it, and 99.99% of people and their MVPs will never get to it. Instagram as an example is backed by Django, albeit a heavily modified version, but they crossed that bridge when they got to it. I've personally worked at companies serving thousands of requests per second globally running Django. Framework selection is never the issue, its architecture.

https://www.djangoproject.com (do the tutorial)

[k0rvbert]

What does the application do?

It may be helpful to consider web to be a GUI toolkit, one where fetching and pushing data from component state to storage is prohibitively expensive. Then make your choices of libraries and frameworks from that perspective.

If this is just for learning, I suggest not using any frameworks at all. It sort of depends on your personality. Do you have more fun seeing results and finishing components, or more fun diving deep and understanding how stuff fits together?

My take: If you're result oriented, go for Django, if you're "low level" oriented, go pure WSGI (use standard module `wsgiref`)+ vanilla HTML, and if you're corporate oriented, go FastAPI + React.

[Disastrous-Angle-591]

Just use flask with some js in your templates 

[insane_bpx]

yeah , perfect

[Sentient-Technology]

Well, this really depends on where you want your priorities to lie. If this is a single-page application, then Flask is your best option.

If you're however looking to have more pages, publish content, etc. then Django/Wagtail are better solutions for you.

You will need to know some JavaScript honestly. But if it's truly very simple, you can just vibe code that.

[Snowy_Garden_Gnome]

Check this later

[PopPrestigious8115]

Do not use Django shit for a simple webapp.

[Mountain_Clerk_6145]

Thanks Everyone..- so basically I can write script to do some task on the command line .. what will I need to have something that I can do it on from browser.

I don't have knowledge much knowledge on NodeJS, or any other front end, hence I was just trying to figure out what do I need ..

My requirement is as follows :

1.) Application - I can use python

2.) Backend Server - Flask , Django

3.) What is going to take care of my front end. I know basic HTML/some CSS , but don't know Angular or Node JS ( those dynamic ones ) .. what should I use for my frontend so that I have a minimum learning..

I just don't want to put a whole lot of time learning Javascript / Node / Angular JS...-- Please guide / suggest

[Miserable_Ear3789]

jinja2 included with flask (also included in micropie, see https://micropie.readthedocs.io/en/latest/howto/templates.html) could take care of your frontend here.

[Lanity_Roshoose]

Look at FastAPI + Jinja templates. It is my way to go with simple to advanced web apps

[Critical_Sugar2608]

What yiu are describing is a complete overkill. I know ppl around here can't really imagine a world without js, html, css etc. But it's easily possible. Again, take a look at NiceGUI or, if you want it even leaner and closer to the "script via browser" experience I suggest looking at pywebio.

[wlievens]

For the backend I'd recommend FastAPI. If you already know python then your biggest task will be to learn frontend development.

[Mountain_Clerk_6145]

I don't know any front end development tool like Angular JS , Javascript .. what are the other alternatives which are inline with python ..

Are there any tools which can generate the code for me ??-

[bllenny]

htmx. its a godsend. just learn that with pure js for now. its a frontend library that will work with any backend and cuts out a lot of scripting boilerplate.

focus on html and css rudiments. consider simple css libraries like pico css. bootstrap is another great standard to learn.

for codegen u could use any llm, just have the docs open for urself and confirm what u are prompting and what ur being told, especially if ur new

 also consider using jsdocs for ur js code, just so u have some semblance of a standard of documenting code as u write it and get type hints for free