Web Development Frameworks

Python is one of the world’s most popular choices for backend web development. Its frameworks are designed to be secure, scalable, and extremely fast to develop.

When choosing a framework, you must decide between a Monolith (everything included) or a Microservice (choose your own tools).

1. Django: The “Monolith”

Django is a “batteries-included” framework. It follows the Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY) principle and provides everything you need to build a complex site out of the box.

Key Features: Built-in Admin Panel, Object-Relational Mapper (ORM), Authentication, and Security.
Best For: Large, complex applications like social networks (Instagram) or news sites (The Washington Post).

from django.db import models

class Product(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    price = models.DecimalField(decimal_places=2, max_digits=10)
    # Django handles the database creation and UI automatically!

2. Flask: The “Micro-Framework”

Flask is minimalist. It provides only the core components (routing and request handling) and stays out of your way.

Key Features: Unopinionated, lightweight, and highly flexible.
Best For: Small projects, prototypes, or developers who want total control over their database and library choices.

from flask import Flask

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route("/user/<name>")
def welcome(name):
    return f"Welcome back, {name}!"

3. FastAPI: The “Modern Standard”

FastAPI is the newest of the three and is built on modern Python 3.6+ features like Type Hints and AsyncIO.

Key Features: Automatic Swagger UI documentation, type validation, and extreme performance (on par with Go or Node.js).
Best For: High-performance REST APIs and microservices.

from fastapi import FastAPI
from pydantic import BaseModel

app = FastAPI()

class Item(BaseModel):
    name: str
    price: float

@app.post("/items/")
async def create_item(item: Item):
    return {"status": "created", "item": item}

4. Summary Table: Which should you choose?

Feature	Django	Flask	FastAPI
Philosophy	Everything included.	Minimalist.	Modern & High Performance.
Database	Built-in ORM.	Choice of library.	Choice of library.
Learning Curve	High (Steep).	Low.	Medium.
Async Support	Limited/Evolving.	No (Native).	Full/Native.
Documentation	Manual.	Manual.	Automatic.