Maybe you’re new to web development in Python, and you’ve encountered the two most popular Python web frameworks, Django and Flask, and have questions about which one you should use. Are Django and Flask similar tools for building web applications?

Yes, Django and Flask share many similarities and can both make great websites, but they have some different development philosophies which will attract different types of developers.

What do I know about this? I’m a software developer who has specialized in web development for over a decade. I have over 7 years of experience building Django apps, and also experience with Flask, Pyramid, Twisted, Pylons, TurboGears, and other Python web frameworks.

For the rest of this article, I’ll show some of the core ways that the tools are similar and explain the biggest differences.

How Are Django and Flask Similar?

Let’s get the biggest similarity covered before considering anything else:

Django and Flask can both help you build amazing web applications.

Both tools have extremely supportive communities and no matter what choice you make in the end, you can build something great.

These are the other big similarities that I see:

• WSGI - Both tools communicate with the web using the Web Server Gateway Interface. By using this protocol, Django and Flask apps can seamlessly connect to Python’s most popular web application servers like Gunicorn or uWSGI without any friction.
• Request/Response - The mental model for serving traffic by handling requests and returning responses is the same. The mechanics to get the request object vary a bit, but the two projects are more similar than not.
• Routing - The frameworks both have the notion of routing a URL to a function or class to handle a request. Django separates the route rules from the functions, while Flask uses decorators on the functions to set routes. The end result is the same. In fact, Django adopted Flask’s route syntax style because it’s awesome.
• Synchronous - One of the constraints of WSGI is that code must run in a synchronous mode (i.e. no use of Python’s async/await keywords). Frankly, I think this makes code easier to reason about for developers. Django has some growing support for ASGI (where the “A” stands for asynchronous).
• Project Structure - Each framework gives you tools to create a manageable structure for your source code to group your logic appropriately. Django calls the grouping tool “applications,” while Flask calls them “blueprints.”

How Are Django and Flask Different?

In spite of all their similarities, there are big differences between Django and Flask.

• Small Apps - Flask is better for very small projects. An entire Flask application can realistically fit into a single file if the project has a small enough scope. Django can fit into a single file, but, truthfully, it’s more of a parler trick, and I never encounter single file Django projects in reality.
• Batteries Included - Django includes a ton of features in the core package compared to Flask. In practice, this means you can install a single package before you need to look for more packages to extend your project. The flip side is that there is more to learn about Django than the core Flask experience.
• Opinionated - Between the two frameworks, Django makes a lot more design choices by including more things and connecting those things together. If you like those choices, then the framework removes a lot of work from your plate. If you don’t like the choices, you may end up battling the framework to bring your own design ideas to bear.
• External Packages - Because Flask has a smaller surface area of features, you have to integrate other features yourself. On the bright side, you gain a lot of flexibility and can include packages that you believe are “best of breed.”

Why I Prefer Django

At PyCon US 2019, I got the chance to hang out with the Pallets team (the umbrella group that manages a bunch of popular web packages) during the development sprints, and they are awesome people! But when I start a new web project, I still reach for Django. Why?

Django’s design choices are solid and let me spend more time focused on my project goals versus integrating other packages.

The Django developers have put together and molded a framework since 2005. With the goal of producing a full-featured framework, a lot of hard-earned lessons from years of Django websites on the internet influenced the choices that make Django what it is today.

The thoughts of many talented developers produced a framework that feels like a cohesive whole. On top of all of that, learning that framework becomes transferrable knowledge since other Django projects will share those patterns and design choices.

Flask lets you choose your own adventure more than Django. For some individuals, that freedom lets them craft exactly the website that they want, including all the extra design choices that they want to make.

I find that the design of Django makes me more productive. I can generate final products to others quickly. After all, isn’t the ultimate goal of using a web framework to make a website that serves its audience well?

Whether you pick Django or Flask, you can rely on the fabulous Python community to support you on either path.

Learn More

Those are my thoughts about the similarities and differences between Django and Flask.

Do you want to learn how Django works or what Django is used for? Then I suggest you check out my Understand Django series of articles next. In that series, I explain Django to new (and old!) web developers. I think it will help you on your journey to becoming a Django dev.

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