Setting up SQLAlchemy

In order to follow along in this chapter, you will need a running database if you do not already have one. If you have never installed a database or you do not have a preference, SQLite is the best option for beginners.

SQLite is a SQL that is fast, works without a server, and is entirely contained in one file. Also, SQLite is natively supported in python. If you choose to go with SQLite, a SQLite database will be created for you in the Our first model section.

Python packages

To install Flask SQLAlchemy with pip, run the following:

$ pip install flask-sqlalchemy

We will also need to install specific packages for the database you chose to use that will act as the connector for SQLAlchemy. SQLite users can skip this step:

# MySQL
$ pip install PyMySQL
# Postgres
$ pip install psycopg2
# MSSQL
$ pip install pyodbc
# Oracle
$ pip install cx_Oracle

Flask SQLAlchemy

Before we can abstract our data, we need to set up Flask SQLAlchemy. SQLAlchemy creates its database connection...