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What is Flask?

Flask is a lightweight and flexible Web Framework for Python, designed to make the process of creating web applications simpler and more approachable. It's considered a "micro" framework, but don't let the "micro" fool you; Flask can do everything the others can do, many times in a simpler, leaner way.

What is a Web Framework?​

Before we dive deeper into what Flask is, let's quickly understand what a web framework is. A web framework is a code library that makes a developer's life easier when building reliable, scalable, and maintainable web applications. By providing reusable patterns and modules, frameworks take care of much of the heavy lifting when it comes to building applications from scratch.

Understanding Flask​

Flask provides simplicity, flexibility and fine-grained control. It is unopinionated (meaning it does not force you to use any particular project or coding style), it is thorough, well documented and has a large and active community.

It is also easy to get started with Flask as it has few dependencies to update and fewer security vulnerabilities.

Features of Flask​

  • Routing: Flask lets you map URLs to Python functions, called "views". This allows your application to direct requests to the appropriate handler based on the URL.

  • Templates: Flask uses a powerful templating engine called Jinja2 that allows you to generate HTML (or other code) using Python-like syntax.

  • Forms: Flask provides request handling with forms, a common task in web development for login forms, registration forms, search boxes, etc.

  • Sessions: Flask allows you to store information specific to a user from one request to the next, using a concept called sessions.

  • Debugging: Flask provides a debugger and error messages to help you track down bugs in your code.

Why Use Flask?​

Flask is often a good choice for simple websites and smaller web applications where simplicity, ease of use, and flexibility are important.

While Flask can be used for large, complex applications, it is most often a great choice for microservices, APIs, and other small to medium sized projects.

Flask also has a big community which means lots of resources, tutorials, and example projects to learn from.

In conclusion, Flask is a powerful web framework that uses Python to help you create web applications. It's simple, flexible, and very effective at getting your web application up and running quickly. Whether you're a beginner to web development or an experienced developer, Flask has something to offer.