// Flask //

              web development, one drop at a time


    ~ What is Flask?

      Flask is a microframework for Python based on Werkzeug
      and Jinja2.  It's intended for getting started very quickly
      and was developed with best intentions in mind.

    ~ Is it ready?

      It's still not 1.0 but it's shaping up nicely and is
      already widely used.  Consider the API to slightly
      improve over time but we don't plan on breaking it.

    ~ What do I need?

      All dependencies are installed by using `pip install Flask`.
      We encourage you to use a virtualenv. Check the docs for
      complete installation and usage instructions.

    ~ Where are the docs?

      Go to http://flask.pocoo.org/docs/ for a prebuilt version
      of the current documentation.  Otherwise build them yourself
      from the sphinx sources in the docs folder.

    ~ Where are the tests?

      Good that you're asking.  The tests are in the
      tests/ folder.  To run the tests use the
      `py.test` testing tool:

        $ py.test

    ~ Where can I get help?

      Either use the #pocoo IRC channel on irc.freenode.net or
      ask on the mailinglist: http://flask.pocoo.org/mailinglist/

      See http://flask.pocoo.org/community/ for more resources.



                          // Q & A //

    ~ If I wanna try out flask at an upcoming hackathon, whats the best resource to get started? 
      
      I've always found the documentation useful which you can find here:
      http://flask.pocoo.org/
      And also these video tutorials:
   
    ~ How would I make a flask rest api?

      Take a look at this useful tutorial:
      http://blog.miguelgrinberg.com/post/designing-a-restful-api-with-python-and-flask
      
    ~ Whats the best db to integrate with flask?
      
      The most popular ORM for non-Django web applications is SQLAlchemy by far, 
      but there are plenty of other options from DynamoDB and MongoDB to 
      simple local persistence like LevelDB or plain SQLite.

    ~ Is flask the same thing as a django? Difference?
      
      With Flask, you will explicitly write your own route functions, 
      make your routes render templates, etc. all using Python functions
      you're already familiar with. There is little "magic". You can see 
      exactly how everything is happening and understand why it is happening. 
      Flask documentation is also quite nice and concise so you can read it 
      and learn Flask in a few hours, spend several evenings learning to make 
      a full application, and then move on to Django. The time investment is small, 
      it will give you great preparation for Django, and you'll have learned 
      about a great micro-framework. I sometimes prototype projects in Flask 
      before building them in Django.

      Django, while more fully featured, has definite structure and convention 
      so it can be a little more mysterious for a beginner to figure out how 
      everything fits together. If you're new to web development, 
      you might have some confusion about whether you're doing something because 
      its a web development convention or whether you're doing it because its
      part of the Django conventions/organization.
      If you can spend a few days or a week playing with Flask before moving on 
      to learning Django (your original goal) I think it is well worth the time. 
      Both are great frameworks. Welcome to the world of Web Development.