Flask 1.0 is here: updates and improvements

Flask is a Python microframework that has been around for a while. It was first released in April 2010; 8 years on, it finally reaches its first stable release. While this is perhaps the first major release, the framework is the most popular Python web framework on GitHub. Not bad for a framework that started life as an April fool's joke.

In truth, Flask has been 'stable' for some time, even if it wasn't officially. However, the announcement of Flask 1.0 is important, as it brings with it a few key changes that might be instrumental in growing the community.

What's new in Flask 1.0?

• More flexible CLI. In the release notes, the team explains: "FLASK_APP can point to an app factory, optionally with arguments. It understands import names in more cases where filenames were previously used. It automatically detects common filenames, app names, and factory names. FLASK_ENV describes the environment the app is running in, like development, and replaces FLASK_DEBUG in most cases."
• Flask can now handle concurrent requests in development.
• You can test an application's CLI commands with test_cli_runner.
• Improvements to documentation. In what is sure to improve the number of Flask users, the team have made changes to the documentation available. This represents a step towards more structure and control within the project.
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• The team have app.logger. They write that it "has been greatly simplified and should be much easier to customize. The logger is always named flask.app, it only adds a handler if none are registered, and it never removes existing handlers."

There many more updates and improvements. You can read about them in detail here. As you'll see many of the updates are around simplicity, and making Flask more accessible to new users. As Python continues to grow in popularity, it wouldn't be surprising to see Flask do the same with this new release. It might mark a new chapter in the development of the project, but it's a necessary step that will be important in maintaining the project for the future.

Read more on Flask

• Python Web Development Frameworks: Django or Flask? Read here.