Flask Tutorial Roadmap

What is Flask?

• Explanation of Flask as a web framework.
• History and origin of Flask.
• Key features and benefits of using Flask.

Setting Up the Development Environment

• Installing Python and pip.
• Creating a virtual environment.
• Installing Flask using pip.
• Setting up a basic Flask project structure.

Your First Flask Application

• Writing a “Hello, World!” Flask application.
• Running the Flask development server.
• Understanding the app.route decorator and URL routing.

Understanding Flask Routing

• Defining routes and handling different HTTP methods (GET, POST).
• Creating dynamic URLs with route parameters.
• URL building with url_for.

Rendering Templates

• Introduction to Jinja2 template engine.
• Creating and rendering HTML templates with Flask.
• Using template inheritance (base templates).
• Passing data from Flask views to templates.

Working with Forms

• Creating and handling HTML forms in Flask.
• Validating form data using Flask-WTF.
• Handling form submissions and displaying validation errors.
• Redirecting users and displaying flash messages.

Working with Databases

• Introduction to SQLAlchemy as Flask’s ORM.
• Setting up a database connection with SQLAlchemy.
• Defining models and performing CRUD operations.
• Managing database migrations with Flask-Migrate.

User Authentication

• Introduction to user authentication concepts.
• Implementing user registration and login functionality.
• Securing routes with login_required.
• Managing user sessions with Flask-Login.

File Uploads and Handling

• Setting up file uploads in a Flask application.
• Validating and securing file uploads.
• Serving uploaded files to users.
• Storing and managing file paths in the database.

RESTful APIs with Flask

• Introduction to RESTful API concepts.
• Creating RESTful routes and handling JSON data.
• Using Flask-RESTful to build APIs.
• Testing and documenting APIs with Postman and Swagger.

Application Configuration and Deployment

• Managing application configurations for different environments.
• Using environment variables for sensitive data.
• Deploying a Flask application to production (Heroku, AWS, etc.).
• Configuring a production-ready web server (Gunicorn, Nginx).

Testing in Flask

• Introduction to testing in Flask.
• Writing unit tests for views and models.
• Testing forms and API endpoints.
• Running tests with pytest and generating test coverage reports.

Flask Extensions

• Overview of popular Flask extensions (Flask-Mail, Flask-Admin, etc.).
• Integrating Flask extensions into your application.
• Customizing Flask extensions to fit your needs.

Handling Error Pages

• Custom error pages for 404, 500, and other HTTP errors.
• Logging errors and debugging in Flask.
• Using Flask-DebugToolbar for in-depth debugging.

Planning the Project

• Choosing a project idea (e.g., a blog, task manager, or e-commerce site).
• Designing the database schema and application architecture.
• Setting up the development environment and project structure.

Developing the Backend with Flask

• Implementing models, views, and templates.
• Adding user authentication and authorization.
• Implementing key features (e.g., posting articles, managing tasks).

Developing the Frontend

• Integrating a frontend framework (Bootstrap, Materialize, etc.).
• Creating responsive layouts with Flask and CSS frameworks.
• Handling AJAX requests with Flask and JavaScript (optional).

Deployment and Scaling

• Preparing the application for deployment.
• Deploying to a cloud provider (Heroku, AWS, etc.).
• Setting up a database (PostgreSQL, MySQL) in production.
• Implementing caching and scaling strategies.