Comprehensive, easy to use and deploy, full-stack and secure, web2py is a framework designedto facilitate and expand the capabilitiesof creating web applications. Its set of distinctively productive features brought web2py to the top of the list of most popular Python-based web frameworks according to the surveys conducted by InfoWorld magazine as of 2011. web2py advantages over the other frameworks were also recognized by the Bossie Award assigned for the best Open Source Development Software. Let us observe this highly estimated web framework in more details.
web2py - Give the web to Python
web2py is a scalable open source Python-based web application framework launched in 2007 as a teaching tool which then expanded into the full-fledged database-driven framework. Since its creation it has already gained massive popularity among both web developers and simple users, continuing to expand and invade new horizons with its high effectiveness and easy-to-use options.
It was initially inspired by the Ruby on Rails (RoR) and Django frameworks, which led to the synthesis of the major advantages of these frameworks with the newly developed ideas implemented in web2py. Like Ruby on Rails, web2py strives for rapid development following a Model-View-Controller design pattern, but it is more effective due to the fact that it is written in Python and therefore boasts faster and more embracing administrative interface and better compatibility with different protocols. Like Django, it includes a wide range of validators and has the ability to create forms on the basis of database tables, but web2py has no project-level configuration files and is easier to learn and apply.
Among the core features of web2py we may distinguish the following ones:
- no installation and configuration requirements
- ability to run on Windows, Mac, Linux/Unix, Google App Engine, Amazon EC2 and virtually any type of web hosting with Python 2.5/2.6/2.7 or Java+Python
- multiple protocols readability
- data security preventing such kinds of vulnerabilities as Cross Site Scripting, Injection Flaws and Malicious File Execution
- web-based IDE with the possibility to perform any type of operation via a web interface
- successful employment of effective Software Engineering practices (Server-side form validation, Model-View-Controller design, postbacks) making the code easier to read and maintain
- error logging and ticketing system that ensures error tracking
- role-based access control restricting access to authorized users
- internationalization / localization support
- backward compatibility ensuring user-oriented advancement without loosing the ties with earlier versions
Most frequently emphasized web2py feature, however, is its easy-to-use operation. It does not require installation, so whenever you decide to use this framework, the procedure is absolutely transparent and clear-cut: you simply click on it, unzip and choose a one-time administrative interface. If there is a need to customize your new application to a certain web server or database engine, such option is also available.
web2py is designed to anticipate the needs of the clients, so each application created with its help has the following structure: Models (files containing the description of data representation), View (files containing the description of data presentation), Controllers (files containing the description of business logic and workflow mechanisms), Cron Jobs (tasks that are to be fulfilled regularly in background), Modules (collection of reusable classes and functions) and Static Files (images, stylesheets, etc.)
You may find out more about the project by visiting its official website: www.web2py.com
Quintagroup way to web2py
If you are interested in building your web application with the help of web2py framework, contact Quintagroup and we will guide you on the way to successful web-based solutions!