If we talk about web development, Python is one of the most popular languages with a TIOBE index of over 11.87% plus its tutorials were amongst the most searched in 2021, with a 30.06% market share. Python has been downloaded more than 23 million times for Windows plus there are over 147,000 packages in the Python package repository.
Python’s first version was released in 1991 and since then its popularity and user base has increased exponentially. Corporate giants and software development companies use Python to develop diverse applications.
Other uses of Python include web development, scientific & numeric computing, desktop GUI creation, software development and creating ERP software for eCommerce companies. Is Python for everyone? What are Python’s notable achievements so far? Why should anyone hire a Python web development company?
The below companies use Python in their technology stacks.
- Instagram – Everyone is aware of Instagram. It is a social media application based on Python that allows its 1 billion + users to edit, store, create and share their content online.
- Spotify – Spotify is a digital music streaming app that allows listeners to access millions of songs, podcasts, and videos from all over the globe.
- Quora – It is an online platform that allows users to ask and answer questions about various topics. Quora has over 300 million active users.
- Dropbox – Dropbox is a cloud-based storage system that uses Python as its desktop client.
Developers use Python for a wide range of web projects plus its implementation spans diverse industries. This blog will give you an overview of Python. Let’s get into it straight away.
Reasons to Use Python for Web Development
There are many reasons why you should use Python for web development. Firstly, developers can use them to build dynamic, scalable, and feature-packed web applications. Let’s look at some reasons why people favour python for web development.
- Open-source – Python is a free, open-source, platform-independent programming language that updates regularly. It is also freely usable, distributable, and even for commercial use, hence its popularity among millions of users.
- Easily understandable – Python has simple readability and its structural elements are similar to the grasp of English speakers. Additionally, it is also well-documented and properly formatted, making its source code more comprehensible and readable.
- Object-oriented – Python as a programming language is object-oriented. With Python, you can define classes to create objects. This object-oriented programming allows modularity for easy trouble-shooting, reuse of code through inheritance, flexibility through polymorphism and effective problem-solving.
- Reduced development time – Developers can save significant time by using Python and its frameworks because of its simplified & independent code approach, compatibility and versatility.
- Resourceful libraries – Developing feature-rich and robust applications become easier with Python because its library is a collection of related modules and countless codes that can be applied to multiple programs. Its libraries include Pandas, Numpy, SQLAlchemy, SciPy, Pyglet and many others.
- Smooth integration – Python is a dynamic programming language that integrates standard libraries, third-party codes and operating systems. With these third-party integrations, developers can create innovative applications with less time and resources.
What Python Framework Should You Choose?
There are plenty of Python web frameworks. Each of these frameworks has its pros and cons. Depending on your project requirements and objectives, you should choose the ideal one. Below are the five most widely used Python frameworks.
1. Django
Django is a high-level Python web framework, used mainly for comprehensive applications. Along with its highly stable and efficient code, its web framework’s functionalities include several upgrades including migration and documentation features.
The Django framework has everything that you need for web development, thereby eliminating the need to perform activities like database management, prototype, routing, authentication etc. If your objective is to create full-fledged web applications and mid-range scalable projects, Django is the best framework for you.
2. Pyramid
Pyramid is the fastest of all Python frameworks.It is ideal for small and large-scale projects while being extremely versatile. Moreover, it supports single-file web apps like microframeworks and events like Pione/Zope while having built-in sessions. Use Pyramid if you feel Django creates a mess for your web application. Nor does Pyramid restrict you from using a particular solution for a task you can choose from a large plug-in framework to meet your goals.
3. Flask
Flask is a microframework with all the necessary features for a web application. It is easy to use and learn, thanks to Python’s boundless libraries and extensions. Understand that Flask framework’s capabilities and functionalities are limited, it needs to be supplemented with other technologies.
Even though Flask is a new framework, it has borrowed features from other frameworks like unit testing and built-in development servers. These features allow developers to create stable and productive web applications.
4. Bottle
Bottle is a fast, simple, and lightweight framework that is best for small-scale applications. With no dependencies, Bottle’s primary functions include routing, templating, and creating utility documents while supporting HTTP development and other servers.
5. TurboGears
TurboGears is an open-source data-driven interactive web framework built on top of WSGI servers. In addition to that, it is also built on a variety of libraries and middleware similar to the FullStack web framework.
Notable features of TurboGears include a robust Object Relational Mapper, built-in templating engine, a toolbox, command-in tool, built-in ToscaWidgets, and much more.
Python Libraries for Web Development
There are a few Python libraries that you should bear in mind while performing web development. If you need a web crawler to recover information from your application, consider Scrappy plus its a popular library for scraping, data processing, automated reach, etc.
Another notable library is Zappa which can be used to run serverless Python web apps using AWS Lambda and AWS API Gateway. Requests is another library that allows developers to submit HTTP requests in a jiffy to connect with apps, get information about HTML pages and build hybrid event-driven apps.
Lastly, we have Dash, which is an open-source framework that developers use to build analytical web solutions. Along with simplifying the development of data-driven apps, Dash is helpful for data analysts who are clueless about web development.
Heavily inspired by React, React, and Flask, Dash connects stylish UI elements like dropdowns, sliders, and graphs to your Python code instantly.
Guidelines for Python Web Development
Before you jump into web development, you need to understand the basic steps and related technologies to accomplish the tasks.
1. Web page design
The basic aspect of web development is HTML and every developer must clearly understand HTML’s basics along with browser definitions, DNS, hosting, HTTP requests and responses.
CSS (Cascading style sheets) determine how HTML elements should look on screen and other media while simplifying the process of improving web page app appearance. This CSS can control the layouts of multiple web pages simultaneously, saving time and resources.
With CSS, developers can define web page styles, including the design, layout, and display variations for various devices and screens. Furthermore, designers must also consider using CSS frameworks like Materialize or Bootstrap to speed up the process.
2. Website Behaviour
Post website creation, it is crucial to monitor website performance. Ensure that pressing buttons on the page and page scrolling in all directions, displaying images in a rotating carousel is possible. Developers must master Javascript’s fundamentals. Access the source with CTRL + U or right-click on the display source code to find countless Javascript, HTML, and CSS codes for each web page.
3. DOM Directions for Robust Web Pages
jQuery shows you many ways to manipulate DOM effectively. Developers need not write long and complex code to get or adjust the HTML element’s content. How does this work? jQuery has tricks like attr(), HTML(), text() and Val() that play the role of getters and setters to control the content in HTML documents.
Additionally, you can even uninstall, substitute, and insert the DOM aspect through jQuery to set up a dynamic web page.
4. Front-end Framework
Developers must also acquire a complete understanding of the front-end framework because it will educate them about full-stack development and not just back-end development. They can take their pick from frontend frameworks like Ember, React, Backbone, Vue, Angular etc.
5. Programming Language
Before jumping into web development, developers should understand Python development’s basics. As stated above, Python is easy to learn and comprehend because of its syntax is similar to English. Python also has valuable code editors and ides like Sublime Text, Vim, Atom, GNU Emacs, Spyder, Thony etc to boost ease and efficiency while writing code. Developers can choose other programming languages but Python is quick, efficient and delivers outstanding results.
6. Web Framework
We discussed different frameworks like Django, Bottle, TurboGears, Flask, Pyramid, etc and developers can choose a framework that suits them best. Every framework has its pros and cons but all of them are versatile and reliable.
For backend frameworks, developers can choose from Flask, CubicWeb, Django, Flask, Giotto, and others. They should also update themselves with the fundamental elements of databases like SQLite, and MongoDB to handle business information that uses frameworks.
If you are looking to hire dedicated Python developer for your next project, contact us today.