How To Choose The Right Python Framework: A Comparative Study Between Django And Flask

Python boasts of having various web frameworks to suit different development environments. Being a Python developer, one has to be adept all the web frameworks. However, amidst popular full-stack to rapid application development frameworks, new programmers often find it difficult to choose the right one. Though all the web frameworks of python are equipped enough to get the work done, choosing a framework that perfectly fits the project requirement makes the developers’ work a lot easier.

This article focuses on the two most talked about python frameworks – Django and Flask. It highlights the advantages and disadvantages of using Django and Flask frameworks.

How helpful are these Web Frameworks?

Django and Flask are two excellent Python web frameworks for building robust and reliable web applications. These frameworks are a full-fledged collection of python libraries and modules that help developers by making their work easier.

Basic differences between Django and Flask:

Both Django and Flask serve the same purpose of developing web applications, and both are built upon Python. However, their features and usefulness in real-time scenarios are the key parameters to consider while choosing one of them. Developers often run into issues during the project and seek online support from experts around the globe. The availability of online support forums is also another factor that affects the selection of the right python framework.

Django is often referred as the framework for perfectionists. Developers need not to worry much about the application architecture before starting to work with Django. Django is built with an excellent and user-friendly API that eases the work with the developers largely. At the same time, Flask can be considered as a beginner’s tool that does not provide the privilege of easy development. The developers have to do some initial analysis of the application architecture before starting the project. When the requirements are not clear enough, it is good to start with Flask, and later the different development modules can be scaled up.

Key Technical Differences between Django and Flask:

·         Django supports form validation where Flask does not support that. Django programmers often build the forms on their own and after the manual validation process it in Flask. Though there are few extensions available now for form validation in Flask, they are not much useful.

·         Django is neatly structured and has a large number of helper functions. However, in Flask, the developers do not get many library functions and need to develop helper functions on their own.

·         Developers for prototyping and quick application development due to its ready-to-use features use mostly Django. Flask is often used when the requirement is rather simple or does not fit into the Django architecture, in the case of complex projects.

Online Support Forums for Django and Flask:

Django has strong online support forums compared to Flask. Due to the rather smaller user base, there is hardly any active support forum for Flask except Werkzeug and Jinja2 community. However, this lack of support forums is often compensated by the exhaustive documentation that comes with Flask. With Django, finding online support is never difficult.

Advantages of using Django:

·         Django is a reliable Full-stack Framework with numerous helpful plugins.

·         It supports Object-relational mapping or ORM for application development.

·         It offers hassle-free content management with exhaustive CSM Administration.

·         It comes with a well-defined MVC organization architecture.

·         It supports extensive customization for the web application that is being developed in Django framework.

·         It supports inbuilt Forms Validation through library helper functions.

·         Database management is rather easy with Django.

Disadvantages of using Django:

·         Django is unsuitable for smaller projects.

·         The errors in implementing inbuilt templates fail by default in Django.

·         The Django processes are capable of handling only a single request at a time.

·         The features may sometimes seem as too complex and overwhelming.

Advantages of using Flask:

·         Flask is a very flexible framework, and supports manually developed modules as extensions.

·         The API and the design of Flask are very minimalist in nature.

·         There is hardly any forethought required before starting work with Flask. Its documentation is comprehensive and very simple for quick learning.

·         It supports easy routing of the URLs.

·         This framework can be extended easily as per the requirement of the project.

Disadvantages of using Flask:

·         Flask does not support async functions.

·         Flask does not have much online support and communities as compared to Django.

·         Database management support is not in Flask. ORM and forms validation support are also not available in it.

·         It has very limited number of features.

With all pros and cons of both the web frameworks considered, Django certainly has some edge over Flask in terms of both features and their usefulness. Flask is a good choice for smaller projects and beginners while Django is the best choice for Python programmers working on large-scale requirements.

Magento vs. OpenCart: Which is better for eCommerce Application Development?

In addition to being an open source programming language, PHP is also compatible with major browsers, operating systems, databases, and servers. The latest version of the popular server-side programming language further comes with enhanced speed, reduced resource consumption, and a number of new language features.  That is why; many enterprises adopt PHP for ecommerce application development.

The PHP-based ecommerce platforms and shopping cart solutions further help developers to simplify and speedup development of custom web stores. Each PHP programmer has option to choose from a wide range of open source ecommerce platforms and shopping cart solutions according to the precise needs of each project. Both Magento and OpenCart help PHP programmers to build custom ecommerce applications without putting extra time and effort.

Magento is an enterprise class ecommerce platform, whereas OpenCart is a shopping cart solution. Magento is written in PHP, while OpenCart is a PHP-based online store management system. OpenCart is open source and free. But developers have option to choose from several editions of Magento – community, enterprise, enterprise cloud, commerce order management and business intelligence. The two PHP-based ecommerce solutions further differ from each other in terms of features, performance, and usage.

Understanding Major Differences between Magento and OpenCart

Design

Magento was designed from the very beginning as a flexible ecommerce platform. It enables users to make the web store accessible and look good on both computers and mobile devices by facilitating responsive web design. The PHP programmers can take advantage of responsive Magento themes to optimize the web store for mobile devices. Also, they can customize the existing themes fully according to their specific needs. At the same time, OpenCart also allows PHP programmers to choose from several free and paid responsive themes. Also, it allows users to customize the themes according to their precise needs. However, Magento allows users to choose from more themes than OpenCart.

Features

Both Magento and OpenCart support multiple languages, currencies, payment gateways, and shipping options. OpenCart enables PHP programmers to avail robust shopping cart facilities, and upload and categorize products without any restriction. It further helps developers to add custom functionality to the web store by integrating specific extensions. On the other hand, Magento is designed with features to meet the requirements of customer friendly and fast growing web stores. The users can easily extend or modify the custom features of the web store by extending Magento’s plug-in architecture. Also, they can easily implement custom functionality by taking advantage of the varying plug-ins and extensions for Magento.

Installation and Set up

OpenCart requires users to install and host ecommerce applications manually. Hence, an enterprise has to deploy skilled developers to deploy the ecommerce application smoothly and efficiently. The users have to put extra time and effort to install Magento properly. But they can easily build and deploy ecommerce applications after installing the ecommerce platform. The performance of the Magento application will still be impacted by the hosting option selected by the enterprise. An enterprise must host the ecommerce application on a dedicated web server to avail adequate bandwidth, storage space, and similar hosting resources.

Suitability

Both Magento and OpenCart come with features to simplify custom web store development. But Magento is more scalable and customizable than other ecommerce solutions including OpenCart. Many PHP developers consider Magento ideal for enterprise usage. They also use the ecommerce platforms to develop, customize, and maintain large web stores efficiently. On the other hand, OpenCart is not used widely for developing big-sized web store. Many PHP programmers use OpenCart for developing web stores that are small and do not require customization.

Customization Options

While developing ecommerce applications developers have to customize it according to precise business requirements. Also, they need to make changes to the web store’s look and feel to make it appear different and appealing. The features and tools provided by Magento make it easier for PHP programmers to customize web stores. The users even have option to choose from several editions of the ecommerce platforms according to precise needs of each project. OpenCart, on the other hand, does not provide any robust features or tools for customizing ecommerce applications. Often developers have to put additional time and effort to customize the ecommerce application while using OpenCart.

Search Engine Optimization Resources

The search engine visibility and ranking of the ecommerce website will directly affect its popularity and user experience. That is why; developers have to optimize the ecommerce website according to major search engine guidelines and metrics during development process. Magento helps developers to enhance the search engine visibility and ranking of the ecommerce website by optimizing title, images and URLs. OpenCart requires developers to use specific extensions and plug-in to boost the search engine ranking of the website. But developers often find the SEO resources provide by OpenCart to be both complex and inadequate.

Learning Curve

The features provided by Magento helps PHP programmers to write large and complex ecommerce applications rapidly. But the additional features make Magento complex. The beginners have to put additional time and effort to use Magento efficiently. Also, they have to identify the features and tools relevant for each project. On the other hand, OpenCart is easy to learn and use. The beginners can start developing custom ecommerce applications with OpenCart within a short amount of time.

Cost

OpenCart is open source and free. The PHP programmers can download and update the shopping cart solution without paying any monthly fees. But they have to incur addition expenses to avail the commercial themes, modules, payment gateways, shipping methods, and reports from OpenCart Marketplace. On the other hand, the users have option to choose from several editions of Magento - community, enterprise, enterprise cloud, commerce order management and business intelligence. They can use the community edition of Magento without paying any fees. But they have to incur additional expenses to avail the advanced features provided by commercial editions of the ecommerce platform.

Popularity and Market Share

The usage statistics posted on various websites depict that Magento is currently much more popular than OpenCart. According to a study conducted by aheadworks, “Magento continues to dominate the market and takes 29.1% of the total market share.” The study indicates that a large percentage of PHP programmers prefer Magento to OpenCart while developing custom ecommerce applications. Also, Magento is supported by a larger and more active developer community than OpenCart.

On the whole, both Magento and OpenCart come with features to simplify and speed up custom ecommerce application development. But each of these two PHP-based ecommerce solutions has its own pros and cons. Hence, the smart PHP programmers always compare Magento and OpenCart based on the precise needs of each ecommerce application development project.