I Explored Python Frameworks -Here’s What Stood Out

When starting a new project, one of the biggest questions that comes to mind is: What framework should I use? Each framework has its pros and cons, and in this article, we’ll dive into those to help you make an informed choice.

The project I’m currently working on is called LiveAPI a super-convenient tool designed to generate API documentation at scale. We aim to make LiveAPI compatible with all web frameworks, so developers can easily create API documentation regardless of their tech stack. To achieve this, we’ve been digging deep into how various frameworks work: from how routes are managed, to the files and dependencies they rely on.

Through this process, I’ve learned a lot, and I want to share those insights in this comparison article. Whether you're trying to pick the right framework for your SaaS project or want to learn something new about frameworks you haven’t explored yet, this guide has you covered.

Now, let’s shift our focus to minimalist frameworks—lightweight, no-frills tools that prioritize simplicity while still getting the job done.

What Are Minimalist Frameworks?

Minimalist frameworks really cut out the unnecessary stuff and focus on the basics, making it easier and faster for you to build applications. They skip all the extra overhead that comes with larger frameworks, focusing instead on flexibility and performance. This makes them great for projects where you need to get things done quickly and efficiently.

Take Bottle, Tornado, and Falcon, for example. If you want something lightweight and fast, Bottle’s single-file design is a dream. Need to handle real-time applications? Tornado has your back with its non-blocking I/O. And for blazing-fast APIs, Falcon shines with its minimal overhead—ideal for microservices. These frameworks let you focus on what truly matters, cutting out the noise.

Ready to dive deeper? Let’s break them down.

Diving deep into Bottle, Tornado, and Falcon

Bottle:

Bottle’s biggest strength lies in its simplicity and single-file deployment, making it one of the easiest frameworks to get started with. Its minimalism allows developers to focus on writing core logic without getting bogged down in configuration. Bottle integrates well with WSGI, enabling flexible routing and templating. You can quickly build small-scale applications or lightweight APIs with just the basics like request handling and templates.

Routing and Views in Bottle

In Bottle, routes are just the URLs users hit to interact with your app. Super simple—just use @app.route() to define them and specify the HTTP method (GET, POST, etc.). That’s it!

@app.route('/user/<username>')  # URL pattern with a dynamic parameter
def profile(username):
    return f'Hello, {username}!'  # Displays the username

With Bottle, you can create web pages using templates. These templates let you add dynamic content easily. Bottle has its own template engine, but you can also use Jinja2 if you want more features.

@app.route('/posts')
def posts():
 posts = ["Post 1", "Post 2", "Post 3"]
    return template('<h1>Posts</h1><ul>{{!posts}}</ul>', posts=posts)

In this example, {{!posts}} is a placeholder in the template that will be replaced with the list of posts.

Key Features of Bottle:

Simplicity and Single-File Deployment: Build applications with just one file, making it quick and easy to get started without complex setups.
WSGI Compatibility: Easily integrates with WSGI(Web Server Gateway Interface), offering flexible routing and template management with compatibility across various web servers.

Sotong Kitchen and Scommerce use the Bottle framework for lightweight APIs and rapid development. Its minimal footprint makes it ideal for small to medium-scale projects. For more insights

If you’re working on a project where speed, simplicity, and a low learning curve are key priorities, Bottle is a fantastic choice.
For example, you could build a simple microblog application in just one file.

from bottle import Bottle, run, template, request

app = Bottle()

# Simple in-memory post-storage
posts = []

# Home page showing the posts
@app.route('/')
def home():
    return template('<h1>Microblog</h1><ul>{{!posts}}</ul>', posts='\n'.join(posts))

# Route to create a new post
@app.route('/new', method='POST')
def new_post():
 post = request.forms.get('post')
 posts.append(post)
    return f'Post created: {post} <a href="/">Back to Home</a>'

# Run the app
run(app, host='localhost', port=8080)

This code demonstrates a simple microblog app using Bottle, allowing users to view and create posts.

Tornado:

Tornado is awesome for real-time apps, especially if you need to handle lots of connections at once, like in chat apps or live feeds. Its non-blocking I/O lets it manage thousands of open connections simultaneously, making it perfect for high-traffic or real-time data applications. The learning curve can be a bit steep if you're used to synchronous frameworks, but once you get it, you'll see how much faster and scalable your app can be. Plus, it integrates easily with other technologies, so you’re not stuck just serving static content.

Routing and Views in Tornado

In Tornado, routes define how your app handles different URLs. You set them up in a list and connect them to request handlers. Instead of decorators like in Bottle, Tornado uses a list of URL patterns:

import tornado.web

class MainHandler(tornado.web.RequestHandler):
    def get(self):
        self.write("Hello, Tornado!")

app = tornado.web.Application([
 (r"/", MainHandler),  # Home route
])

if __name__ == "__main__":
 app.listen(8888)
 tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.current().start()

Tornado supports templates to make dynamic web pages. Just call self.render() in your handler:

class HomeHandler(tornado.web.RequestHandler):
    def get(self):
        self.render("home.html", name="Tornado")

app = tornado.web.Application([
 (r"/", HomeHandler),
], template_path="templates")

And in templates/home.html:

<h1>Welcome, {{ name }}!</h1>

Key Features of Tornado:

Non-Blocking I/O: Tornado’s asynchronous model handles many open connections simultaneously, ideal for real-time apps and long-lived connections.
Scalability: Designed to scale efficiently, Tornado handles high-traffic volumes while maintaining fast response times, perfect for large or high-traffic applications.

Facebook and Zalando use Tornado to handle real-time features like live updates and notifications, enabling high concurrency and efficiently managing large-scale traffic.For more details

if you're looking to build a real-time web app or need to handle a lot of connections smoothly, Tornado should be at the top of your list.
For example, you could create a simple chat server using Tornado’s non-blocking I/O:

import tornado.ioloop
import tornado.web

# Simple in-memory message store
messages = []

class MainHandler(tornado.web.RequestHandler):
    def get(self):
        self.write("<h1>Simple Chat</h1><ul>" + "".join([f"<li>{msg}</li>" for msg in messages]) + "</ul>")
    
    def post(self):
 message = self.get_argument("message")
 messages.append(message)
        self.redirect("/")

application = tornado.web.Application([
 (r"/", MainHandler),
])

if __name__ == "__main__":
 application.listen(8888)
 tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.current().start()

Falcon:

If you need something that’s all about raw performance with minimal overhead, Falcon is a great pick. It’s designed for high-performance APIs, perfect for microservices or any project where speed matters. What I love about Falcon is how it can handle tons of requests without slowing down, making it ideal for scaling in production. It’s simple, lightweight, and lets you control the details of your API design, all while keeping latency low.

Routing and Views in Falcon

In Falcon, routes are mapped to classes that handle HTTP requests. A class represents a resource, and its methods represent HTTP methods (like GET, POST, DELETE, etc.).

import falcon

class HelloWorld:
    def on_get(self, req, resp):
 resp.status = falcon.HTTP_200
 resp.text = 'Hello, World!'

app = falcon.App()
app.add_route('/hello', HelloWorld())  # Map the /hello URL to HelloWorld handler

In Falcon, views are simply the responses returned by your handler methods. It doesn’t come with a built-in templating engine like Bottle or Tornado, but you can easily use external ones like Jinja2.

Here’s a quick example of rendering HTML with Jinja2 in Falcon:

import falcon
from jinja2 import Template

class HelloWorld:
    def on_get(self, req, resp):
 template = Template('<h1>Hello, {{ name }}!</h1>')
 rendered_html = template.render(name='Falcon User')
        
 resp.status = falcon.HTTP_200
 resp.content_type = falcon.MEDIA_HTML
 resp.text = rendered_html

app = falcon.App()
app.add_route('/hello', HelloWorld())  # This will show the rendered HTML

Key Features of Falcon:

High Performance: Falcon handles thousands of requests per second with minimal latency, making it perfect for high-performance APIs and microservices.
Asynchronous Support: Falcon enables efficient handling of long-running requests and high-concurrency scenarios without blocking the main thread.

Workgenius and Applines use Falcon to build high-performance, low-latency APIs. The framework helps them efficiently handle large-scale backend workloads. To learn more..

If you’re focused on performance and want to build an API that runs like lightning, Falcon is worth checking out.
For example, you could build a simple REST API for managing a to-do list using Falcon. Check this out:

import falcon

class TodoResource:
    def __init__(self):
        self.todos = []

    def on_get(self, req, resp):
 resp.media = {'todos': self.todos}

    def on_post(self, req, resp):
 todo = req.media.get('todo')
        self.todos.append(todo)
 resp.media = {'message': f'To-do item added: {todo}'}

# Create the Falcon app and add routes
app = falcon.App()
todo_resource = TodoResource()

app.add_route('/todos', todo_resource)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    from wsgiref.simple_server import make_server
    with make_server('localhost', 8000, app) as httpd:
        print("Serving on http://localhost:8000")
 httpd.serve_forever()

Comparative Analysis

Conclusion

I hope this article gave you a better understanding of these frameworks and their benefits. Thanks for reading! If you're looking for API documentation for any of these frameworks, feel free to check out LiveAPI—we’d love to hear about your experiences.