Python Web Programming - Not Using Django

Question

I want to learn Python for Web Programming. As of now I work on PHP and want to try Python and its object oriented features. I have basic knowledge of python and its syntax and data strucures.

I want to start with making basic web pages - forms, file upload and then move on to more dynamic websites using MYSQl.

As of now I do not want to try Django or for that matter any other frameworks. Is python with cgi and MySQLdb modules a good start?

Thanks

• Burhan Khalid: Why do you not want to use a framework?
• Oleksii Kachaiev: Web Microframeworks Battle
• user1629766: I tried using Django - I am learning it side by side but it requires a lot of prerequisites. Plus I have my website on Godaddy - I want something that I can test on godaddy servers without much configuration.

Answer 1

I recommend Pyramid Framework!

Answer 2

I would recommend using some WSGI (WebServer Gateway interface) lightweight frameworks. WSGI is the commonly recognized web interface on python and will let you manage basic HTTP request (GET, POST, HEAD ...), Django is also WSGI based.

http://wsgi.readthedocs.org/en/latest/frameworks.html

You can also write a basic WSGI app if you don't want to use any framework. It's very easy and you can easily test it / deploy it using Paste Deploy or Apache + mod_wsgi.

http://pythonpaste.org/deploy/

Answer 3

Having used both Flask and Django for a bit now, I must say that I much prefer Flask for most things. I would recommend giving it a try. Flask-Uploads and WTForms are two nice extensions for the Flask framework that make it easy to do the things you mentioned. Lots of other extensions available.

If you go on to work with dynamic site attached to a database, Flask + SQL Alchemy make a very powerful combination. I much prefer the SQLAlchemy ORM to the django model ORM.

Answer 4

If nothing else it will show you why you want to use a framework, should be a really valuable learning experience. I say go for it.

Answer 5

Depend on the level of your understanding on web programming, and for learning purpose, you can start from very basic such as the module SimpleHTTPServer, or a bit more practically, a micro framework such as Paste, or Bottle. Then you head for a full-stack framework like Django.

Answer 6

I would really recommend that you try Flask. It doesn't require much overhead such as Pyramids and Django, and it will give you the opportunity to play (not that it's a toy).

from their docs: install Flask:

>> pip install Flask

then run a simple web-app :)

from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)
@app.route("/")
def hello():
 return "Hello World!"
if __name__ == "__main__":
 app.run()