Flask + ILLO = Flaskadillo
On October 15, 2018, I had the opportunity to offer an in-lab learning opportunity (ILLO) at the Lab for Data Intensive Biology. The ILLO focused on Flask, a useful Python library for creating and running web servers. This library is useful because it has a very low learning curve, but also has the complexity to handle complicated, real-world projects.
As a part of this in-lab learning opportunity, I created repository with five simple Flask examples to highlight five useful capabilities of Flask.
The repository is called flaskadillo and it is available on git.charlesreid1.com or on github.com.
The five capabilities covered by the examples in flaskadillo are listed below:
-
hello - hello world flask server
-
api - a simple API server
-
jinja - a simple Flask server that makes use of Jinja templates
-
package - a simple demonstration of how to package flask apps
-
tests - a simple demonstration of how to write Flask tests
Example 1: Hello World
We'll just cover example 1 here, but similar materials are available for all five examples.
Example 1 consists of a simple flask app, simple.py:
from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)
@app.route("/")
def hello():
return "Hello World!"
The hello directory of the flaskadillo repo covers how to install the necessary packages and run the Flask application.
There is also a unit test, test_simple.py, which demonstrates
how to write tests for Flask applications. To run the unit
test, run:
pytest
More Information
For instructions on each of the 5 examples, visit each of the 5 directories in the flaskadillo repository.
Why flaskadillo?
Because armadillo.
Why armadillo?
The word armadillo means "little armoured one" in Spanish.
Armadillos are related to anteaters and sloths (all are in the Xenartha superorder).
The Aztecs called them turtle-rabbits.