Flask vs Django: Understand Which Python Framework You Should Choose

14 mins read

One of the world's top leading and popular programming languages, Python is an object-oriented, high-level language that makes it easy to learn and perfect for beginners. It makes coding very easy because the language emphasizes readability.

It’s a language that offers varied career options to programmers in general. How? Even if it's in an unrelated industry, they can easily jump to another job if they start working with Python. There are many uses of the language for system operations, web development, server and administrative tools.

Numerous Python-based web frameworks enable engineers to construct adaptable applications rapidly. From easy to complex sites, these systems can do everything. Out of the numerous famous decisions, Django vs Flask are the most discussed that prompts an examination among both, and keeping in mind that every one of these web development software has its remarkable elements, there are many variables you should take a gander at prior to picking one for your applications. 

Django was launched in the market in 2005 while Flask entered the arena in 2010. Nonetheless, both are world-class frameworks in the Python world starting today. Their developing prominence is clear, considering the quantity of inquiries individuals pose about both these systems in different tech discussions. 

Well if you are well versed with the Python programming language, you can easily work on any of these frameworks. For your benefit, this article has unmistakably given an essential outline of both Django and Flask so you can see the value in the distinctions and use of each in a superior manner.

Django or Flask? An Overview

For starters, Flask entered the limelight as an alternative to Django, why? It's because apparently, developers needed greater adaptability that would allow them to choose how they need to execute things, and Django isn't flexible enough to license adjustment of their modules to such a degree. Flask is a simple, lucid, and direct framework that working in it allows an accomplished Python developer to make ventures inside genuinely tight timeframes.

The Basic Difference

• Flask is phenomenal for building basic locales with dormant substance, similar to web journals; it gives all the features and advantages you might want and allows for customization to a colossal degree whereas, Django is staggering for developing complex destinations with lively substance, with flexibility in keenness; tremendous endeavors that need Avant-grade courses of action can be sent really quick.
• As its modules are pre-configured to supply quick app improvement and arrangement, Flask is idealized for creating simple web apps. While in Django, it's possible to send more complicated web apps comparatively faster, as its modules are pre-configured to give rapid development and arrangement of applications.
• Django is a heavy-weight web framework. On the other hand, with Flask, you would have to develop everything single-handedly.
• Django is a full-stack web structure while Flask is a lightweight and extensible system. Assuming you need to dive more into coding and learn core concepts, Flask assists you with seeing how every part from the back-end attempts to get a straightforward web application running properly.
• Django follows bunches of configuration designs, and subsequently, you get familiar with a great deal of energizing ideas.
• Further, both the frameworks enjoy rich community support and a lot of documentation, so while coding if you get stuck somewhere with no way out, the odds are that the issue has been as of now talked about and figured out – something that makes your work a lot simpler, isn't it?

Before diving into the debate of Django vs Flask, we should first look to answer these two basic questions: “What is Django?” and “What is Flask?”. 

What is Flask?

Flask is basically a micro development framework having no dependence on external libraries, offering fundamental components of the web application. The framework offers extensions for form validation, object-relational mappers, open authentication systems, uploading mechanism, along with various other tools.

If you have a straightforward, imaginative use case to be added to a current application, Flask ought to be your decision as it offers adaptability. Flask accompanies a little arrangement of simple-to-learn API, and the documentation is magnificent. Also, Flask web application code is, much of the time, more unequivocal. It is the ultimate of most amateurs because of the need for barricades to get a fundamental application going.

If you are new to python web development, it's recommended that you choose Flask so that you get to learn about the core concepts of development and get proper exposure to backend and frontend development without any unnecessary complexities.

Features of Flask

1. Simple Setup - You don't require any additional setup or configurations to run a flask server. Just install flask using the pip command and start the server by typing "flask serve".
2. Fast Development - With Flask, you will not face issues like slow loading speed due to the large number of dependencies required to build an application. This helps developers to focus on their main task rather than spending hours configuring different packages.
3. Easy Deployment - If you want to deploy your project then just copy paste all files in the production folder and restart the server. No need to do anything else.
4. Cross Platform Support - As Python supports multiple platforms including Windows, Linux, Mac OS X etc., therefore there is no problem when deploying applications developed with this language.
5. Open Source - Being free source software, it means anyone can contribute to its improvement. So, even beginners can easily contribute to making changes in the existing code base.
6. LightWeight Framework - Compared to other popular frameworks such as Ruby On Rails, PHP Laravel, Java Spring MVC etc., Flask is very light weight which consumes less memory space during execution.
7. Rich Community Support - There are many communities available online where people share knowledge regarding Flask. For example, Stack Overflow provides great help for those who wish to develop apps using this technology.
8. Free & Open Source - Unlike some paid products, Flask is completely free and open source. Anyone can download the latest version from GitHub repository and modify it according to his/her requirements.
9. Highly Scalable - Due to the small size of the framework, it allows easy deployment across servers. Moreover, if we compare it with other technologies, it has better scalability compared to others.
10. Good Documentation - In addition to being lightweight, it also comes with good documentation.

Flask has an integrated unit testing support and comes with RESTful and HTTP request handling. Werkzeug and Jinja2 are two of the main dependencies that provide strong support for WSGI. The developer has full control of the decisions they make to build the application. What's more? It comes with a built-in development server and fast debugger and has a coherent and neat API.

What is Django?

Django is regularly referred to as the "batteries-included" framework approach—or the "system for nitpickers with deadlines." This suggests that Django simplifies it for Python developers to dive into web applications quickly without the need to plan into the application's framework ahead of time. Basically, you can create top-notch web applications all the more quickly without the need to code everything! Django has incredible documentation and has an immense online community network.

It is a high-level python-based web development system that permits performing rapid software development. The essential objective of this web structure is to make complex database-driven sites. With Django you don't have to worry about any HTML or CSS coding; instead, you simply write your site logic in Python.

You may likewise utilize third party modules like jQuery, Bootstrap, and Twitter Bootstrap. If you want to use SQLAlchemy, then you will be able to do so. Also, unlike Flask, Django doesn’t require external libraries like MySQL db.

Features of Django

1. Easy Setup – Since Django is based on the Python programming language, it requires minimal setup effort. You just need to install the required packages. Once done, you can start developing right away.
2. Great Community Support – There is no doubt that Django enjoys great popularity among its users. So, there is always someone around to help out when you face issues while working with Django.
3. Excellent Documentation – As mentioned earlier, Django provides excellent documentation which helps newbies get started easily.
4. Powerful Features – One thing that sets apart Django from other frameworks is the fact that it supports many features such as authentication, authorization, caching, internationalization, etc.
5. Built-in Testing Tools – Another feature that differentiates Django from other frameworks is that it includes powerful tools for automated tests. These include unit testing, functional testing, integration testing, end user acceptance testing, load testing, stress testing, security testing, etc.
6. Scalable Architecture - In case you are planning to develop large scale projects using Django, then you should know that it uses scalable architecture. That means that if you add more servers to handle traffic, then the website won’t slow down.
7. Highly Customizable – Unlike some other frameworks, Django allows customization through plugins. For example, you can customize forms by adding custom fields, change templates, modify URL patterns, etc.
8. Extensible APIs – Django also provides extensibility via pluggable apps. This enables you to extend functionality provided by default.
9. Open Source – Being an open source project, Django has been developed under active community participation. It is available free of cost and anyone can contribute to it.
10. Rich Third Party Libraries – Apart from providing rich built-in support, Django comes loaded with numerous third party libraries. Some examples include Django-crispy-forms, Django-bootstrap, Django-autocomplete-light, Django-pagination, Django-filter, etc. 

The framework can be used for a lot of things, from content management to social networks and more. It is compatible with any client-side framework, offers Model - View – Controller (MVC) Architecture and has support for front-end tools like Ajax, jQuery, Pyjamas, etc.

Django vs Flask

What makes Django better than Flask?

In terms of performance, both these popular frameworks offer similar results. However, since Django was designed specifically for creating websites, it tends to perform faster than Flask.

The primary distinction between the two development frameworks is that Django is a full stack framework which implies that it incorporates not just the back end but also the front end. This means that when you develop using Django, you don’t require separate code for the backend and frontend. You simply write the code once and then run it everywhere.

Flask does not include any kind of UI layer or user interface. It only includes the server side logic. So, if you wish to build a website where users will interact with each other through forms, then you must use Django. However, if you wish to create a static site without any interaction at all, then you may go ahead with Flask.

The other reasons why Django is superior over Flask can be put forth in the following points:

1. Django comes with a built-in admin panel. Admin panels help developers manage data easily. They provide easy access to different sections like Users, Groups, etc. Moreover, admins can add new fields to existing models too.
2. It provides readymade templates. Templates are used to display content on websites. With Django, you do not need to worry about writing HTML codes yourself. Instead, you can directly edit the template files provided by the framework itself.
3. Django supports multiple databases. You can connect to MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MongoDB, Oracle, Microsoft Access, Google Cloud Datastore, Amazon Redshift, Firebase, Elasticsearch, Couchbase, Azure Cosmos DB, IBM Spectrum Scale, AWS DynamoDB, and many others.
4. It allows you to integrate third party APIs. For example, you can make calls to Twitter API using Django. Similarly, you can also call Facebook Graph API using Django.
5. Django gives you control over caching mechanisms. Caching helps in speeding up page loading time. If you want to cache some pages, then you can simply set them to be cached. Further, you can even configure which parts of the code should be cached.
6. Django lets you write unit tests. Unit testing ensures that your code works correctly before deploying it live. Thus, this feature saves lots of time when developing apps.
7. It provides security checks during development. These checks ensure that there are no vulnerabilities present in your code. Hence, they save you from getting hacked.
8. It provides readymade packages. There are hundreds of readymade packages available for Django. Some examples are django-allauth, djangorestframework, django-crispy forms, Django-autocomplete-light, django-bootstrap3, Django-compressor, Django-count, etc.

The bottom-line

• There are many high-traffic sites based on Flask also, which perform well and are similar to those based on Django. Many essential ideas and certain core concepts are very similar in both Django and Flask.
• However, Django is muddled and tremendous and needs a profound commitment to learn and adapt. So, assuming you need to get the 'vibe' of a web system, start with Flask and afterward start working on Django for more modern applications.
• Django, together with the REST Framework assists you with building incredible APIs, though Flask requires more work, so there are high opportunities to commit an error. As your task structure develops, you find that adding new functionalities is more overpowering in Flask, though it's like a cakewalk in the Django framework.
  
  

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