Django Vs Flask. The End.
This has been the most controversial topic among flask and Django developers. There has been a war waging since both came into existence. So, let's find out what’s the difference between both of these packages.
Let's start from basics,
Why is there a controversy between the two?
Both frameworks do the same work of serving for building a web-application. For example, there's always a controversy between i-phones and Andriod phones. Both smartphones do the same work, but yet the ways of doing it are different. Let's understand what is flask and Django.
What can be other good examples of tech controversy? Comment below. Would love to know your views.
What are Flask and Django?
Flask and Django both are the frameworks that are used in creating a web-application. We can create standalone websites with the help of Flask and Django. Flask is classified as a microframework because it does not require particular tools or libraries. It has no database abstraction layer, form validation, or any other components where pre-existing third-party libraries provide common functions.
But the problem is, which one to choose between the two. We will come to a conclusion by comparing both of its features.
So let's talk features,
Major Difference
The major difference between the two is that Flask is a microframework i.e it does not have any built-in database or auth system. We have to write code from scratch or attach a third-party package to it like flask-login.
Whereas, Django has its own ORM(Object-relational mapping), uses data models in the backend, has an inbuilt auth system for its forms. But with flask, you don't get this privilege.
Now we can argue on creating a separate data model for the flask. But flask has this basic intention of keeping its package lightweight and rather gives the developers flexibility to use there own data model or package.
Django is based on the Model-View-Controller framework. The MVC allows the code to be reusable, a lesser line of code, and faster development.
Django’s Modular approach
In Django, we can divide the whole website into apps. These apps can be used in other projects as well. Writing code in Django is pretty easy.
Django makes the code easily readable. Its really a hectic work understanding someones else code. Think you have joined a new company, one might spend hours wasting on getting comfortable with the code.
But when we create an app in Django these files are created automatically.
Ok. Now even without getting into the code, I can predict that urls.py might be used for routing of URLs to functions. Views.py containing the functions to the related URL endpoint. Models.py be related to something with the database. Easy !!
A developer can easily create this without wasting much time on thinking about the file names.
Talking about security
Django has provided inbuilt security feature for these problems:-
Cross-site scripting (XSS) protection
XSS attacks allow a user to inject client-side scripts into the browsers of other users. This is usually achieved by storing the malicious scripts in the database where it will be retrieved and displayed to other users, or by getting users to click a link which will cause the attacker’s JavaScript to be executed by the user’s browser.
But using Django’s template we stand against most of these forgeries.
Credentials Protection using CSRF
CSRF attacks allow a malicious user to execute actions using the credentials of another user without that user’s knowledge or consent.
Django has built-in protection against most types of CSRF attacks, providing you have enabled and used it where appropriate.
Data Safety (SQL Injection)
SQL injection is a type of attack where a malicious user is able to execute arbitrary SQL code on a database. This can result in records being deleted or data leakage.
Django’s querysets are protected from SQL injection since their queries are constructed using query parameterization.
So your data remains safe.
You can read about it in more detail here.
Admin Dashboard
One of the most amazing features of Django is its admin dashboard feature. It provides an in-built Admin dashboard where we can perform CRUD operations. This is an example of the Admin Dashboard Django.
This UI reduces the load of creating a separate dashboard for admins. The Admins can easily monitor the data from this dashboard.
During my past years of programming, I really found this feature most interesting. It reduced my workload for building a separate admin dashboard for clients. Most clients are not very versed in programming. So this works as a good to go solution for most cases.
We can definitely change the UI by using a third-party library like Django-Jet.
Flexibility
As far as flexibility is concerned, Flask seems to have a complete win over django. Flask is flexible allowing its users to use frameworks according to there needs.
Performance
Well as far as performance is concerned both deliver pretty good standards with there work.
Decetralizatoin of Code
When a product grows it becomes absolutely necessary to deliver the content to the users at a faster rate. A user will never stay on your website if the response time is more than a min.
The solution to this is the decentralization of the code. With Django’s Modularity approach where we have a separate app for every feature, we can simply deploy that app into another VM (Virtual Machine or VPS ) and use an API to get faster results. We can do this in the flask as well, required you have followed the modular approach for building your app.
But yet, due to the lightweight of the flask, I still prefer making APIs with flask.
Which one to choose?
We have only talked about the advantages of Django. Now, let’s take a while to understand flasks usage. As discussed earlier, if you want to have full access over your website its good to go with flask. But this doesn’t promise code reliability, reusability, modular approach. Django is built in a way where we are bound to follow good programming standards.
I have been into coding for the past few years. Working with startups include building a product from scratch to a level where it matches production standards. There are many things that need to be looked into while building a product. So when thought from the product development point of view, Django is the best solution. Yet if I want to have complete control over my application Flask is the best one.
In short, if some other package is easing out my work of database, authentication, data-models, initial security. It’s best to stick with it.
I have been working as a Technology Lead for the past 2 years. And have been into development for a few years.
I guess frameworks will come and go but what matters is the skillset that you have learned.
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Peace !!
