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According to the TIOBE index (as of October 2024), Python remains the #1 most popular programming language, with its popularity growing steadily. And while it’s mostly known for being used in machine learning projects, this programming language can be successfully applied to the development of web and mobile applications. Below, we discuss the specifics of Python app development and review the most common frameworks that help developers create stellar apps.
Why choose Python for mobile apps and web apps?
Due to Python’s versatility, it can be used in a variety of applications, with machine learning and data analysis projects being the most common use cases. In app development, Python can be successfully used for building both web and mobile applications though it shines the most when used for backend development. But before discussing the intricacies of creating a Python-powered app, let’s first go through the main reasons for Python application development t in the first place:
- Simplicity and readability: Python is well-known for its clear and understandable syntax, meaning that it’s easier for developers to understand the code and quickly debug it. This is especially valuable when one developer needs to review the other developer’s code.
- Cross-platforom opportunities: combined with a powerful framework of choice, Python brings developers various cross-platform opportunities, allowing them to create cross-platform apps with rich functionality.
- Big community and a great number of available solutions: Python’s immense popularity means that the language has a very big community of developers. This, in turn, means that the language has a plethora of readymade solutions and is constantly being improved.
- Perfect for building quick prototypes or PoC: Python enables quick development of Proof-of-Concept apps or prototypes since it allows quick API creation.
- Rich ecosystem: it consists of a variety of powerful tools, including an array of libraries. This allows for quick app development and creation of apps of various formats.
- Security: Python’s frameworks come with built-in security features that bring in an additional layer of security to app development.
What kind of apps are usually built with Python?
Though Python is known for its general use, it won’t perform the same for two different apps due to its nature and built-in features. So while you can technically use it for everything, this language has proved to perform exceptionally well in the following areas of app development:
Machine learning applications
It comes as no surprise that Python is the number one choice when it comes to ML development. Due to an array of free and powerful libraries for machine learning (Scipy, Numpy, PyTorch, Keras, etc.) that this language provides, many ML developers choose this language for their app development. Also, such cloud providers as AWS or Google Cloud offer their ML services with native Python support, which is another big reason to choose it for your machine learning app.
Multi-purpose business applications
Python is widely used for the development of business applications such as ERP ones as it provides robust security and rich functionality while not making the apps too heavy. However, this language is especially popular in ecommerce app development. The first reason for that is that Python has a rich ecosystem of packages and libraries, meaning it can effectively handle many important aspects of an ecommerce store, like payment processing and inventory management. Python also has built-in security features which is critical for an ecommerce store and can integrate easily with various third-party services like customer support systems or analytics tools.
Game applications
While some say that Python is not the best choice for game development, it’s not entirely true – you just need to know how exactly to use it for game app development. First, Python is great for prototyping, which is important for quick testing of a game idea. Second, its rich array of libraries asists game developers in multiple aspects: graphics rendering with Pygame to rendering with Panda3D. Finally, due to Python’s simplicity, it is often used in 2D game development since these games are usually quite lightweight, have basic game physics, and do not require any extraordinary functionality.
These were the most popular examples of apps that you can create with Python – now let’s look at the available frameworks that simplify the whole app development process.
Web scraping applications
Web scraping apps are the ones used to extract content from a website, which is important for such processes as market research or price comparison. Python is a common choice for such apps due to its versatile features and robust library support. Examples are BeautifulSoup and Scrapy. BeautifulSoup is a library used for HTML and XML documentation parsing and Scrapy (as the name suggests) is a framework designed specifically for scraping.
Best frameworks for Python app development
Python offers several frameworks for mobile app development and web app development to choose from, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. But in general, the most popular frameworks fall into two categories:
- Mobile: Kivy, BeeWare
- Web: Django, Flask
Let’s see each in detail.
Kivy
Kivy is an open-source framework for cross-platform GUI apps. It enables Python mobile app development and allows developers to build their apps with a single codebase and then deploy them to a platform of choice, be it macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android.
It has a Model-View-Controller architecture and offers a rich variety of widgets and tools for creating responsive and dynamic user interfaces. Due to Kivy’s support for gesture and touch inputs, it is also known for being highly effective in developing multi-touch applications and Natural User Interfaces (NUI). With that being said, you can effectively use Kivy to build an app in Python and then deliver it to iOS and Android platforms.
Key features:
- Built on OpenGL ES 2 and thus enables fast graphic rendering and creation of smooth animations;
- Issued below the MIT license;
- Offers a custom UI Toolkit
- Uses a declarative language for defining the user interface.
BeeWare
Unlike Kivy, BeeWare is not a single framework but rather a collection of libraries that allows building native apps in Python and is also used for Python mobile development. BeeWare is able of compiling Python code into native binaries for the selected platform and in this way, allows delivering native apps across multiple platforms.
BeeWare is based on Toga – a Python-native GUI toolkit that allows the use of native UI elements. So if you are developing an app in Toga on Android, the app will use native Android’s UI components. In this way, such cross-platform apps deliver seamless native user experience.
Key features:
- Toga GUI toolkit;
- Availability of native UI components;
- A single codebase;
- Open-sourced and BSD-licensed.
Django
Django is a well-known framework for developing web applications. One of its biggest advantages is the emphasis on reusable components which greatly speeds up the development process. As well, Django offers a plethora of ready-to-use features like CRUD operations or database connection.
Key features:
- Available templates for creating dynamic pages;
- A shortcut to a full integration with the app’s database;
- No need to use SQL for building the data model;
- Conversion of database tables into Python classes;
- A built-in templating engine DTL (Django Template Language)
Flask
Flask is another Python framework for web development. It is sometimes referred to as a micro web framework since Flask has minimal dependencies and does not require the use of particular tools or libraries. But despite its lightweight nature, Flask is actually quite powerful and enables effectrive development of small and medium web applications that do not require complex functionality.
Key features:
- Can be used with basically any database;
- Has a high level of customization;
- Very easy to learn;
- A built-in Jinja2 template engine
FastAPI
One more framework worth mentioning is FastAPI, designed specifically for building APIs with ease and speed. One of its greatest strengths is the focus on high performance, making it ideal for applications where speed is critical. Additionally, FastAPI provides automatic interactive API documentation, which simplifies the development and testing processes.
Key features:
- High speed due to asynchronous support
- Automatic generation of interactive API docs
- Type hints for data validation
- Simplifies the management of dependencies in the app
- Easy integration with databases
How to make an app with Python: key steps of the development process
If you plan to create an app using Python, we recommend learning about the core steps of the process. In this way, you will gain an understanding of how to plan future work and how to adjust these steps so they fully correspond to your business goals. If you don’t have an in-house development team, we recommend checking out our Python development services. As a company with extensive experience in software development, we know how to make the most of Python when it comes to developing a feature-rich and robust application.
So, how to make an app with Python?
Define your app idea
Though seemingly obvious, this step is crucial as it defines further development. You need to have a very clear understanding of the purpose of the app and its desired functionality as well as the value that it will bring to end users. Based on that, you will be able to select the most suitable tech stack, including the frameworks discussed above.
We also recommend starting with MVP development so you can test your app idea and gather feedback from real users before investing too much time and effort into development. And as already mentioned, Python is simply great for quick prototyping.
Choose the right framework to work with
When developing an application, choosing the right framework is crucial. Django is a popular choice for projects where rapid development is needed, such as a proof of concept (PoC). Its comprehensive set of built-in features, like ORM and admin panels, enables quick setup and iteration. The emphasis on reusable components further speeds up the process.
On the other hand, FastAPI excels in building high-performance APIs with its asynchronous capabilities and automatic documentation generation. It’s ideal for applications where speed and efficiency are critical.
Your framework choice should align with your project’s requirements, considering factors like performance, feature complexity, and development speed. For UI needs, frameworks like Kivy or BeeWare might be considered, depending on the desired creative control or native experience.
Set up the development environment
This step will depend heavily on the previous one since different frameworks and libraries require different installations. In a nutshell, the setup of a development environment includes the following tasks:
- Select the OS that you’ll work with;
- Install the needed IDE (integrated development environment);
- Install all needed packages and tools;
- Organize the project file and dependencies through creating a project folder.
Develop the app
This step involves actual writing of the code and the development of the core app functionality. It is critical to follow the secure coding approach and have a robust version control system so you can always roll back to the needed app version. As well, try performing regular code reviews and don’t forget to test continuously.
Test and debug
Though continuous testing is a common practice in app development, it doesn’t mean you won’t need to test the app after it is done. Once you finish its development, you will have to extensively test the app’s various parameters in terms of its functionality, security, performance, and usability. And in case you detect any issues or bugs, you’ll need to debug the app and perform testing once again to ensure that the debugging process did not interfere with the app’s functioning.
Deploy your application
Once the app is tested and is free of bugs and errors, you can deploy it and make it available to end user. Since the real-world environment differs from the testing environment, issues might occur upon the app’s launch. To ensure smooth app’s performance, request maintenance and support services from your development team and clearly define the duration and conditions of these services. In this way, you will be able to fix any unexpected bugs as soon as they occur, without disrupting the user experience.
Main challenges in Python app development and how to overcome them
As we already mentioned, Python can be a solid choice for app development and is definitely effective in specific use cases. However, one has to be aware of the potential challenges and ways to overcome them.
Performance issues
Python is an interpreted language so it’s a bit slower than compiled languages that are normally used in app development. To address this challenge, try the following:
- Code profiling tools: Utilize code profiling tools to effectively identify bottlenecks in your application. These tools help pinpoint areas where performance can be improved.
- Built-in functions: Take advantage of built-in functions, which are often implemented in C and optimized for performance.
- C extensions or Cython: Consider using C extensions or deploying Cython to compile Python code into C, thus boosting execution speed significantly.
- Concurrent programming: Implement various approaches like asynchronous programming or threading to run tasks concurrently. This can improve application responsiveness and efficiency.
Debugging
While Python’s dynamic nature offers flexibility, it can sometimes make debugging more challenging. However, with the right strategies and tools, you can manage this effectively:
- Robust testing strategy: Develop a comprehensive testing strategy before starting the development process. This proactive approach allows for quick reactions to unexpected issues and ensures that potential problems are caught early.
- Use of debuggers: Leverage powerful debugging tools like pdb or integrated debuggers in IDEs such as PyCharm and VS Code. These tools help track down and resolve issues efficiently.
- Automated tests: Implement automated testing frameworks like pytest or unittest to facilitate thorough and consistent testing. Automated tests can significantly improve the accuracy of bug detection and streamline the debugging process.
App packaging and distribution
Since Python was not originally created as a language for app development, the process of app packaging and distribution is more complex than the one for native applications. To successfully publish a Python mobile app on an app store, you’lll need to use specialized tools to package the Python code of your app into the needed format.
Summing up
Python is a powerful and versatile language that can be used in various applications, including web and mobile apps. However, if you decide to create a Python app, you need to be aware of potential challenges and plan your development process accordingly. In general, this language works the best for the backend development but it’s not limited to backend only. We hope our article helped you better understand where exactly Python works the best and what to expect from Python app development.
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