Article:
In today’s fast-paced digital world, building Python web applications with user-friendly interfaces is quintessential. Flask, a lightweight WSGI web application framework in Python, is one of the best options for such functionality. But, what if multiple Flask apps are to be run on a single server? This can often be a tad bit complicated. This guide will navigate you through the process.
Combining Multiple Flask Apps on One Server
The integration of multiple Flask apps on a single server, though complicated, is not impossible. It requires a certain level of understanding of Python and Flask. Initially, it may seem overwhelming but with a systematic approach and following best practices, this hurdle can be overcome.
Each Flask app is regarded as a separate entity; hence, it can exist independently in the server. By using a reverse proxy server such as Nginx or Apache in front of the Flask applications, it is possible to route traffic to different Flask apps based on the URL.
from flask import Flask
app1 = Flask('app1')
app2 = Flask('app2')
@app1.route('/')
def hello():
return "Hello from App 1"
@app2.route('/')
def hello():
return "Hello from App 2"
Step-by-Step Code Execution
First and foremost, two Flask instances named app1 and app2 are created. The names should preferably be distinctive enough to separate one from another. These applications uphold unique routing information.
Each route is defined with a Python decorator above the function that provides the response for that route. In this case, two routes are created on the index (‘/’) for two separate Flask applications, each returning a unique response.
if __name__ == '__main__':
app1.run(port=8080)
app2.run(port=8081)
Finally, the `if __name__ == ‘__main__’:` block initiates the two Flask applications on different ports when the script is run directly from Python.
Python Libraries and Functions
- Flask: It’s a micro web framework written in Python. It is classified as a microframework because it does not require particular tools or libraries.
- NGINX: It’s a free, open-source, high-performance HTTP server, and a reverse proxy. Not only does it acts as a load balancer, but also it is used as an HTTP cache, and it enables the server to handle more than 10,000 simultaneous connections.
- Apache HTTP Server: It is a free and open-source cross-platform web server software. Apache has been the most popular web server on the Internet since 1996.
Understanding the use of Flask for running web applications and managing multiple apps on a single server drastically increase your productivity and the capacity to manage large-scale projects. By following this guide, you should be able to seamlessly integrate multiple Flask applications onto a single server. Remember, practice is key and happy coding!
