Introduction to Django and Flask

1. Introduction

Goal of the tutorial: This tutorial aims to provide a basic understanding of Django and Flask, two popular Python web frameworks. By the end of this guide, you should be comfortable with the fundamental differences between the two and be able to decide which is more suitable for your web development needs.

What you will learn: You will learn the basics of Django and Flask, how to install and set up a simple application using both frameworks, and understand the difference between them.

Prerequisites: A basic understanding of Python programming is required. Familiarity with web development basics like HTML and CSS would be beneficial but not compulsory.

2. Step-by-Step Guide

Django

Django is a high-level Python web framework that enables rapid development of secure and maintainable websites. It is designed to help developers take applications from concept to completion as quickly as possible.

Installation:

pip install Django

Creating a new Django project:

django-admin startproject myproject

Flask

Flask is a lightweight WSGI web application framework. It is designed to make getting started quick and easy, with the ability to scale up to complex applications.

Installation:

pip install flask

Creating a new Flask app:
Create a new file called app.py and add the following code:

from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello_world():
    return 'Hello, World!'

Differences between Django and Flask

Django is a full-featured web framework for Python, while Flask is a lightweight and modular framework. Django comes with many features out of the box such as an ORM, admin panel, and authentication system. Flask, on the other hand, has a more flexible and extensible approach, where you add in the components you need.

3. Code Examples

Django
Here is a basic Django view:

from django.http import HttpResponse
from django.shortcuts import render

def hello(request):
    return HttpResponse("Hello, World!")

Flask
Here is a similar view in Flask:

from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello():
    return "Hello, World!"

4. Summary

In this tutorial, we've introduced Django and Flask, two powerful Python web frameworks. We learned that Django is more suitable for larger applications that require a lot of built-in features, while Flask provides more flexibility and control, ideal for smaller, more customized applications.

5. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Create a simple Flask app that displays "Hello, [your name]" when you navigate to '/your_name'

Exercise 2: Create a Django app that has a model named Blog with fields title and content. Show all the blogs on the index page.

Exercise 3: Add a form to the Django app from Exercise 2 that allows users to add a new blog.

Remember, practice is key to becoming proficient in any coding framework. Keep experimenting with different features and functionalities of both Django and Flask. Happy coding!